HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Bars

Michael Fabricant: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what the  (a) gross profit and  (b) net trading surplus was of (i) Bellamy's bar and (ii) each other bar on the House of Commons part of the parliamentary estate in each of the last five years.

Nick Harvey: The gross profit (taking no account of staff and overhead costs) for Bellamy's Bar and each other bar (taken to mean venues which are primarily bars) on the Commons part of the parliamentary estate in each of the last five years was:
	
		
			  £ 
			  Bar  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009( 1) 
			 Bellamy's 51,654 47,857 37,993 32,480 20,759 
			 Strangers/Terrace Pavilion Bar 64,375 68,349 68,931 74,760 65,832 
			 Members Smoking Room 9,757 8,891 8,865 7,779 6,105 
			 Pugin Room 23,818 23,163 29,475 30,993 21,374 
			 Total 149,604 148,260 145,264 146,012 114,070 
			 (1) April to December 
		
	
	The House does not record the net trading surplus or loss in each individual outlet but in 2008-09 the overall net cost incurred by the Catering and Retail Directorate in the Department of Facilities was some £6.1 million, in accordance with the budget approved by the Finance and Services Committee. This represents the difference between income and the cost of the services provided.

Members: Allowances

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how much Sir Thomas Legg's analysis of hon. Members' expenses claims has cost to date; and how much of that cost was for remuneration to Sir Thomas.

Nick Harvey: Sir Thomas Legg completed his review and submitted his report on 16 December. The review has cost approximately £1.1 million to date, of which Sir Thomas's fees were £142,000. This does not include the cost of the appeal process now being conducted by the right hon. Sir Paul Kennedy, or of the work which Sir Thomas has been asked to do to update parts of his report in the light of further mortgage and rent information received from a number of Members.

Members: Computer Software

David Drew: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what the timetable is for migrating computer users in the House to Vista; and how many hon. Members have had their user accounts migrated to Vista.

Nick Harvey: PICT is ready to migrate Members from the Windows XP operating system to an upgraded system from the time of the next general election. A VISTA build has been successfully tested and PICT are now working with Microsoft to evaluate Windows 7 as a potential alternative option. PICT does not currently supply VISTA for any hon. Members parliamentary desktop.

Members: Electronic Equipment

David Drew: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how many types of personal digital assistants (PDAs) PICT supports; and what procedures hon. Members must follow to receive  (a) PDAs and  (b) upgrades to PDAs.

Nick Harvey: PICT currently has a range of five windows mobile devices in its PDA catalogue. Since the service was launched approximately three years ago the range of devices has changed and all those issued in the past are also supported by PICT. The full range of PDAs currently available from PICT can be viewed and ordered in the Commons Members Centre in Portcullis House. Device details and order forms can also be found on the intranet. During 2009 PICT upgraded the Parliamentary infrastructure and as a result will shortly be extending the mobile service further to allow Members to connect their own active synch compatible devices (windows mobile, symbian and iphone) and Blackberry devices securely to Parliamentary Outlook accounts.

Parliamentary Information and Communications Technology Service

David Drew: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how many  (a) inquiries and  (b) complaints PICT has received in each year since it was established.

Nick Harvey: Since it was established, the PICT Service Desk has received 345,404 calls and recorded 239 complaints.
	
		
			   Number of  i nquiries  Number of complaints 
			 2006 84753 (1)- 
			 2007 87414 117 
			 2008 83373 79 
			 2009 89864 43 
			 Total 345,404 239 
			 (1) During 2006, when PICT was first established, complaints were not recorded separately.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Offenders

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many employees of his Department and its agencies have been convicted of a criminal offence of each type in each year since 1997.

Paul Goggins: While details of criminal convictions would be on the personnel files of employees they are not held centrally.

OLYMPICS

Offenders

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Minister for the Olympics how many employees of the Government Olympics Executive have been convicted of a criminal offence of each type in each year since 1997.

Tessa Jowell: The Government Olympic Executive is part of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). The number of employees from DCMS convicted of a criminal offence since 1997 is zero.

SCOTLAND

Anti-Slavery Day Bill

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will ask the First Minister to introduce in the Scottish Parliament a legislative consent resolution in respect of the provisions of the Anti-Slavery Day Bill introducing a national day to raise awareness of the need to eradicate all forms of slavery.

Ann McKechin: The hon. Member for Totnes refers to his Anti-Slavery Day Bill which is due for second reading in this House on 5 February.
	The Government are committed to the convention that we would not normally legislate with regard to devolved matters without seeking the consent of the Scottish Parliament, and this commitment extends to private Members' Bills that receive support from this House.

Regional News

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he last met broadcasters in Scotland to discuss the future of regional news in Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

Ann McKechin: My right hon. Friend regularly meets with broadcasters in Scotland to discuss a range of issues including regional news.

Freedom of Information Requests

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many freedom of information requests his Department has received in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Ann McKechin: The Scotland Office received 180 freedom of information requests during 2009.

Globespan Airways Ltd.

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues on the entry into administration of Globespan Airways Ltd. in Scotland.

Jim Murphy: I speak to ministerial colleagues regularly on a range of issues including the Globespan problems. Along with these ministerial colleagues I am continuing to monitor the situation closely.

Banking Sector

Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent assessment he has made of the prospects for the banking sector in Scotland.

Jim Murphy: Following the UK Government's support to Halifax Bank of Scotland and the Royal Bank of Scotland worth £358 billion, I am confident that the Scottish banking sector will return to profitability and again flourish as part of Scotland's strong and diverse financial services sector.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Departmental Sick Leave

Grant Shapps: To ask the Leader of the House how many working days were lost due to  (a) illness and  (b) stress of employees in her Office in each of the last three years.

Barbara Keeley: The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons joined the Cabinet Office in 2007.
	The Cabinet Office has published previous annual sickness absence reports for the civil service (2003-07) these can be viewed via sickness absence reports at:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.Uk/about/resources/sickness/sickness.aspx
	Since 2007, the Cabinet Office has continued to publish its own sick absence data on a quarterly basis. These can be viewed via absence data reports at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/reports/absence.aspx
	No staff have taken leave for stress over the last three years.

Departmental Training

Grant Shapps: To ask the Leader of the House how many sessions of media training were organised for Ministers in her Department in each of the last three years.

Barbara Keeley: In the Office of the Leader of the House of Commons one Minister has attended a Media skills training course during the last three years. This was organised by Sara Jones Associates Ltd. at a cost of £2,937.50.
	Training is also provided to Ministers on a range of issues including handling the media, as part of their induction and continuing development in order to carry out their duties effectively under the 'Ministerial Code'.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agriculture: Carbon Sequestration

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the effects on climate change of the practice of mob-grazing of cattle to sequester carbon dioxide in soil.

Jim Fitzpatrick: DEFRA has not carried out any formal research on the potential for mob-grazing (an extra intensive version of rotational grazing) to permanently sequester carbon in soil. However, an initial assessment from a UK perspective suggests that mob-grazing has limited potential to increase soil carbon and may increase soil compaction and erosion, resulting in a subsequent loss of soil quality and soil carbon. As a result of the density of livestock, mob-grazing practices would also be likely to lead to nutrient 'hotspots' which could lead to increased nitrous oxide emissions (a more powerful greenhouse gas) or increased nitrate leaching into water courses.

Agriculture: Waste Disposal

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will commission research into the  (a) environmental and  (b) economic merits of anaerobic digestion as a means of disposing of fallen stock; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Disposal of fallen stock by means of anaerobic digestion is not permitted under the EU Animal By-products Regulation 1774/2002. This is because of the animal and public health risk associated with such disposal. There is therefore no point at this stage in carrying out such an environmental or economic assessment. However, we are aware that there is ongoing research into the possibility of using anaerobic digestions as a pre-treatment and method of temporary storage of fallen stock prior to disposal by rendering or incineration. The regulation has a provision to approve such new methods of disposal subject to evidence from research that it does not present a risk to animal and public health.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the relationship between badger populations and the incidence of tuberculosis in cattle, with particular reference to East Sussex.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 11 January 2010
	 Since November 2008, DEFRA has worked alongside the farming industry and veterinary profession as part of the Bovine TB Eradication Group for England to tackle Bovine TB and move towards its eradication. On 8 October, the group published a progress report that covered a range of issues including bovine TB and badgers and included a number of recommendations which have now been implemented.
	While we do not have any studies specifically relating current badger populations to cattle TB incidence, DEFRA is funding a number of research projects that further analyse the extensive dataset collected during the Randomised Badger Culling Trial carried out in the South West of England between1998 and 2005. This trial looked at the impact of two badger culling methods on cattle herd TB incidence.
	No trial areas were located in East Sussex because it is predominantly a relatively low TB incidence county with a well recognised small endemic area of infection on the coast between Brighton and Eastbourne. The latest figures show that of the 16,390 reactors slaughtered in 2009 up to 31 August in England, 18 were from herds located in East Sussex.
	DEFRA is, however, funding work at the Veterinary Laboratories Agency as part of its TB surveillance contract, which looks at relationships between local badger and cattle strain types.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Vaccination

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects a diagnostic test to differentiate between infected and vaccinated animals to become available for use in vaccinating cattle against tuberculosis.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The earliest projected date for the use of a BCG cattle vaccine with a DIVA test to Differentiate Infected from Vaccinated Animals is 2015.
	It should be noted that in addition to the science, there are a number of key policy, legal, commercial, regulatory and manufacturing issues surrounding the implementation of a vaccine against bovine TB.
	The possible future use of cattle vaccines has been discussed with the European Commission and the Commission has indicated that an accredited DIVA test will be critical for a cattle vaccination policy. DEFRA will continue to work closely with the Commission and other member states to minimise the time required to make the required legislative changes once the necessary scientific information is available.

Flood Control

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government is taking to improve the resilience to flooding of drainage and sewer systems in  (a) the West Midlands and  (b) England.

Huw Irranca-Davies: In June 2009 the Government published their response to Sir Michael Pitt's independent review of the summer 2007 floods. The Government supported all of the 92 Pitt recommendations, including those that suggested better ways of managing surface water flooding caused by excessive rainfall.
	The Flood and Water Management Bill was presented to Parliament on 19 November 2009. The Bill implements the Pitt recommendations that require urgent legislation, and strengthens the legislative framework to reduce impacts of future floods. It gives local authorities lead responsibility for managing local flood risk, with the support of the relevant organisations.
	It also contains proposals on unitary and county local authorities being responsible for approving sustainable drainage systems (SUDS) for all new builds and redevelopments, and for adopting and maintaining SUDS serving more than one property. SUDS can significantly reduce localised flash-flooding, reduce flooding downstream and slow down the rate at which areas begin to flood. They can also improve water quality. The Bill proposes to amend the automatic right to connect the surface water drainage systems of any new developments to the sewerage system, making it conditional on SUDS National Standards having been applied. For back gardens, local authorities already have powers to prevent the laying of impermeable surfaces where it poses a local problem, via Article 4 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995.
	On 15 December 2008, the Government announced that the transfer of all private sewers and lateral drains linked to the public sewerage system would take place from 2011. Around 180,000 km of private sewers and lateral drains connect into the public network, but benefit from no effective operational regime. This will remove the burden of maintenance and repair from householders and will ensure better planning and more integrated management of the wider sewerage network.
	In the West Midlands, the Environment Agency has supplied its Medium Term Plan for flood risk management to Severn Trent Water. This will allow an early assessment of potential impacts on the sewerage system to be made. It will also create opportunities to identify potential sites for combined schemes, where both river and sewer flooding occur. The Environment Agency and Severn Trent are currently co-operating on planning schemes at Alcester, Broom and Pershore in the West Midlands. These are all locations which were affected by the 2007 summer floods. These schemes are planned to reduce flood risk to 193 properties (100 at Alcester, 61 at Pershore and 32 at Broom).
	Water companies are investing considerable sums in capital works to minimise the risk of sewer flooding. For the Periodic Review 2009, the Environment Agency commented on and contributed to the funding bid by Severn Trent to improve the resilience of its assets. In both the East and West Midlands, Severn Trent has been working with the Environment Agency to assist lead local authorities in establishing successful partnerships to manage local flood risk.

Lake Windermere

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs who has responsibility for managing the water level of Lake Windermere; and how this management is undertaken.

Huw Irranca-Davies: holding answer 12 January 2010
	The Environment Agency is responsible for the operation of the Newby Bridge Sluices situated on the River Leven, which flows out of Windermere. The sluices have a limited controlling effect, reducing the lake level when it is high.
	United Utilities carries out abstraction for the public water supply and this controls the lake's water level when it is normal or low.

Water Charges

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to implement the recommendations of chapter 14 of the Independent Review of Charging for Household Water and Sewerage Services.

Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA will consider Anna Walker's final recommendations, including those dealing with the particular problem of the South West, very carefully and will consult on the way forward.

TRANSPORT

A338

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what the reason is for the roadworks taking place on the A338; when they are expected to be concluded; and if he will make a statement.

Sadiq Khan: Dorset county council, as highway authority, is currently clearing vegetation, removing tree, erection of reptile fencing and undertaking various surveys in preparation for proposed major reconstruction work to the A338 Spur Road from Ashley Heath interchange to Cooper Dean Interchange. It expects to complete this preparation work in early March 2010.
	The Department for Transport is currently considering a major scheme business case for the reconstruction works and will announce a decision in due course.

Aviation: Security

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what assessment he has made of the effects of the additional security arrangements introduced in December 2009 on queuing times and delays at UK airports.

Paul Clark: While the additional measures introduced for US bound flights are the responsibility of the US Government, the Department for Transport inspectors have been working with airports and airlines to assess the extent of delays. The Department for Transport and the US Government are in regular contact to discuss ways in which delays can be minimised while maintaining adequate levels of service.

Aviation: Security

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether the Government plan to introduce the additional security checks recently introduced for flights to the US to other flights departing the UK.

Paul Clark: These checks were introduced in response to US Government requirements. The UK Government will not be introducing such specific requirements for other flights, but will be improving security for all departing passengers in line with the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary to Parliament on 5 January.

Aviation: Security

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the cost to the aviation industry of additional security checks on passengers transferring at UK airports to flights to other destinations;
	(2)  what additional security checks he plans to introduce for passengers transferring at UK airports to flights to other destinations;
	(3)  whether additional security checks on passengers transferring through UK airports will apply to passengers arriving from all countries or specified countries.

Paul Clark: The Government are not implementing additional security checks specifically on transfer passengers at UK airports, and so no additional costs are involved. International transfer passengers are already subject to the same screening regime as departing passengers, and will therefore be covered by the wider enhancements to airport security that are being introduced.

Aviation: Security

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what estimate he has made of the average time required to carry out the new security checks on airline passengers and others.

Paul Clark: This is currently under discussion with airport operators. Our aim is to minimise disruption to passengers.

Aviation: Security

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what proportion of airline passengers transferring at UK airports to other destinations will be subject to additional security screening.

Paul Clark: Transfer passengers are subject to the same security regime as departing passengers. The precise proportion of passengers selected for screening is not made public for security reasons.

Aviation: Security

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what estimates have been made of the likely costs to  (a) airports and  (b) airline operators of training for staff on new security measures.

Paul Clark: I have made no estimate. Training costs are a matter for airport operators.

Aviation: Security

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether behavioural profiling is used in security measures undertaken at UK airports.

Paul Clark: Security staff at certain airports are currently receiving training in behavioural analysis techniques.

Aviation: Security

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many full body scanners he expects to be introduced into UK airports in the next  (a) six months,  (b) year,  (c) two years and  (d) five years.

Paul Clark: This is a detailed operational matter for each UK airport to decide.

Aviation: Security

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what assessment he has made of the effects of the introduction of full body scanners at airports on  (a) the length of queues at security and  (b) levels of passenger convenience.

Paul Clark: Urgent consultation with industry is under way particularly with those airports who have trialled such body scanners to ensure that such operational issues are taken into account.

Aviation: Security

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what criteria will be used to decide which passengers are subject to full body scanning at airports.

Paul Clark: The code of practice is under urgent development and will be finalised as soon as possible.

Aviation: Security

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport when he expects to publish the report of the Government's review of airport security measures.

Paul Clark: I refer the hon. Member to the statement made to the House by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary on 5 January 2010,  Official Report, columns 28-32.

Aviation: Security

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of passive millimetre wave technology in the detection of powder and liquid explosives.

Paul Clark: None. We are not proposing the deployment of such technology at UK airports for the detection of powder and liquid explosives.

Aviation: Security

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what assessment he has made of the cost  (a) to the public purse and  (b) to the aviation industry of introducing full body scanners to all UK airports.

Paul Clark: The costs of introducing body scanners will be met by airports, and not the public purse. It will be up to airport operators to determine how many machines are needed to process passengers without undue delay, and so an assessment of cost at this stage is not possible.

Aviation: Security

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether the full body scanners he plans to introduce to airports will use passive millimetre wave technology or X-ray technology.

Paul Clark: We envisage that the body scanners to be introduced will use either active millimetre wave or backscatter X-ray technology.

Aviation: Security

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of full body scanning security equipment for airports that does not use passive millimetre wave technology.

Paul Clark: The Department for Transport has assessed the effectiveness of active millimetre wave and backscatter X-ray technology. It is envisaged that the body scanners to be deployed at UK airports will use either of these methods.

Aviation: Security

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether there will be a minimum age for people to be subject to full body scanning security at airports.

Paul Clark: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 11 January 2010,  Official Report, column 660W.

Aviation: Security

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the oral statement of 5 January 2010,  Official Report, columns 28-32, on aviation and border security, whether funds from his Department's budget will be allocated to training for airport security staff on new security measures.

Paul Clark: The financing of training for airport security staff is a matter for airport operators.

Aviation: Security

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the Oral Statement of 5 January 2010,  Official Report, columns 28-32, on aviation and border security, whether his Department plans to contribute to the cost of introducing explosive trace detection equipment in all UK airports by the end of the year.

Paul Clark: The financing of this equipment will be a matter for airport operators.

Aviation: Security

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the Oral Statement of 5 January 2010,  Official Report, columns 28-32, on aviation and border security, whether he has made an estimate of the cost to the aviation industry of his Department's requirement that all UK airports introduce explosive trace detection equipment by the end of the year.

Paul Clark: I have not made any estimate. The financing of such equipment is a matter for airport operators.

Aviation: Security

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport when he expects full body scanning equipment to be operational in all designated UK airports.

Paul Clark: The first scanner is expected to be operational at Heathrow airport within about three weeks. We are discussing urgently with the airport industry the widespread roll out of scanners at UK airports as soon as is practical.

Aviation: Security

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the Oral Statement of 5 January 2010,  Official Report, columns 28-32, on aviation and border security, whether he expects airline staff to receive training in behavioural analysis techniques.

Paul Clark: The current behavioural analysis training programme is focused on airport security staff.

Body Searches

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what his estimate is of the average time it takes to search an individual using a  (a) body scanner and  (b) pat down physical search.

Paul Clark: The average time taken for a search by body scanner is between 20 and 90 seconds, depending on the technology employed. A hand search takes around 45 seconds.

Buses: Concessions

Linda Riordan: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many people in Halifax are estimated to be eligible for the national concessionary bus fares scheme.

Sadiq Khan: The Department for Transport does not hold information about the number of people eligible for a bus pass, that is persons aged 60 or over and eligible disabled people, at the level requested. West Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority (Metro) administers the concessionary travel scheme that includes Calderdale council and Halifax. Population estimates from the Office for National Statistics show that in mid 2008 there were 43,400 people resident in the Calderdale council area aged 60 or over. There is no information on the number of disabled people resident in the area.

Buses: Stafford

William Cash: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will take steps to ensure the restoration of the X1 Baker Bus service to Stafford station.

Sadiq Khan: The X1 bus service is a commercial service operated by Baker Bus Ltd. The X1 also provides a rail-replacement service between Wedgewood, Barlston and Stone stations.
	Rail services between Stafford and Stone were restored in December 2008. However, London Midland Trains has made a commercial agreement with Arriva Buses that through rail tickets will be accepted providing through journey opportunities.

Departmental Domestic Visits

Philip Davies: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many planned visits by Ministers in his Department within the UK were cancelled within 72 hours of the visit taking place in the last 12 months; and what the planned venue or venues were for each such visit.

Chris Mole: This information is not held by the Department for Transport.

Departmental Finance

Andrew George: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport 
	(1)  what recent guidance his Department has issued to regional transport committees on the criteria to be used in their allocation of central funding for transport programmes;
	(2)  which Minister in his Department is responsible for policy in relation to the allocation of central funding for regional transport programmes;
	(3)  what criteria his Department uses to determine its funding allocations in respect of regional transport programmes.

Sadiq Khan: My responsibilities include decisions on transport funding for cities and regional networks. Most such funding outside London is distributed to local authorities on the basis of advice received from regions.
	Guidance to regions on preparing regional funding advice was most recently issued in July 2008, and is available at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/regional_funding_advice300708.pdf
	This sets out both the general criteria for advice across all the functions covered and the specific transport considerations to be taken into account. The guidance also includes at Annex E the formulae which have been agreed to distribute available funding between regions.
	Since submitting advice in spring 2009, regions have been invited to undertake a number of further transport studies to influence decisions on investment from 2014 onwards. Guidance on the study programme was issued in July 2009 and is available at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/regional/strategy/dasts/guidance/

Departmental Pay

John Mason: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what  (a) bonuses and  (b) incentives have been paid to (i) consultants and (ii) contractors engaged by his Department in each of the last three years.

Chris Mole: The Department for Transport does not record the details of bonus and incentive payments centrally and this could be provided only at disproportionate costs.
	However the following bonus and incentive payments are known to have been paid:
	The central department paid Operon gainshare and incentive payments of £340,654 in 2006-07, £394,905 in 2007-08 and £464,061 in 2008-09 for successfully meeting key performance indicators related to delivery of total facilities management services.

Departmental Pay

John Mason: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what  (a) bonuses and  (b) incentives have been paid to (i) consultants and (ii) contractors engaged by executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies for which his Department is responsible in each of the last three years.

Chris Mole: The Department for Transport does not record the details of bonus and incentive payments centrally and this could be provided only at disproportionate costs.
	However, following a search across the Departments Executive Agencies and non-departmental public bodies, the following bonus and incentive payments are known to have been paid.
	Driving Standards Agency made incentive payments of £26,032 in July 2008 and £10,544 in July 2009 for the completion of multi purpose test centres being delivered to the agreed programme.

Departmental Surveys

Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will place in the Library a copy of the results of his Department's most recent staff survey; which organisation carried out the survey; and what the cost of the survey was.

Chris Mole: The Department for Transport will be publishing its October 2009 staff survey results for the Department and its agencies on the Department's website on 1 February 2010. Following publication we will place a copy of the results in the Library.
	The supplier for the Department for Transport staff survey in October 2009 was ORC International who were procured by the Cabinet Office to deliver the first cross-civil service People Survey. The People Survey replaced all existing staff surveys in the civil service with a single questionnaire.
	The cost of the 2009-10 People Survey for the Department for Transport and its agencies was £76,000. By procuring a single supplier for staff surveys in 2009-10 the civil service has saved 35 per cent. on the total cost of staff surveys in 2008-09.

M6

Edward Timpson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what progress has been made on the review of road safety between junctions 15 and 19 of the M6 motorway.

Chris Mole: holding answer 11 January 2010
	The Highways Agency has reviewed road safety between Junctions 15 and 19 of the M6, and other adjacent sections of the motorway, as part of its overall Annual Safety Report. This report has recommended further investigations at various locations along the motorway. The Highways Agency has also launched a number of targeted educational campaigns and other initiatives aimed at improving road safety along this and other sections of the motorway.

Roads: Snow and Ice

Dai Davies: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of provision of grit and salt to treat roads and pavements during very cold weather periods; and what the sources are of salt used for such road treatments.

Sadiq Khan: The Government have convened a group called the 'Salt Cell', bringing together the Department for Transport, the devolved Administrations (Scotland and Wales), the Highways Agency, the Local Government Association (LGA), County Surveyors Society, Met Office, the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Cabinet Office.
	The aim of the Salt Cell is to provide advice to suppliers on the most effective distribution of available salt supplies in order to minimise the risk to public safety. The Salt Cell is continuously gathering and assessing salt stock and resilience levels and is working hard to ensure the delivery of salt goes to where it is needed most.
	There are three significant salt mines within the UK. There are also three major salt merchants that import salt as well as supply UK produced salt. There are other salt merchants and businesses which supply relatively small quantities of salt.

Roads: Snow and Ice

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport on what date the Salt Cell became operational.

Sadiq Khan: The Salt Cell became operational on the 6 January 2010 in order to respond to the current severe weather conditions.

Rolling Stock

Linda Riordan: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much has been spent on additional rolling stock for the Calder Valley line between Halifax and Leeds since 2005.

Chris Mole: Generally, rolling stock is not procured for particular routes unless there are special reasons, usually technical or operational, for doing so, and therefore it is not possible to identify additional trains provided specifically for services between Halifax and Leeds. However in 2006 Yorkshire Forward part funded the additional cost of 12 diesel multiple unit vehicles for use on services on routes in West Yorkshire, including those between Leeds and Halifax.

Transport Police

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many people 
	(1)  were issued with a penalty notice for disorder under section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986 by the British Transport Police in each of the last three years;
	(2)  have been  (a) arrested and  (b) de-arrested by the British Transport Police in each of the last three years.

Chris Mole: This information is not held by the Department for Transport, but by the British Transport police who can be contacted at: British Transport Police, 25 Camden Road, London NW1 9LN, e-mail:
	parliament@btp.pnn.police.uk

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Belarus: Internet

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has had discussions with his Belarus counterpart on the regulation of the internet in that country; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: Access to the internet in Belarus is controlled through the monopoly of the national company Beltelkom and strict rules are imposed on owners of internet cafes who are obliged to report when users visit banned websites. We are concerned by recent reports that a new presidential decree would increase control over the internet in advance of the local elections expected this spring and the presidential elections expected early next year. We, and EU colleagues, regularly raise freedom of expression with the Belarusian authorities. Progress in this area would improve the relationship between Belarus and international organisations like the EU, Council of Europe, and Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. On 7 May 2009, Belarus signed the Joint Declaration of the Prague Eastern Partnership Summit which stipulates that the
	Partnership will be based on fundamental values .... including democracy, the rule of law and the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.
	This includes the right to a free media.

Colombia

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the number of internally displaced people in Colombia; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: There are varying figures on the total number of displaced people in Colombia, but the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) puts the figure at almost 3.3 million. Further details can be found on the UNHCR website at:
	http://www.unhcr.org/4b02ca0e9.html
	We continue to urge the Colombian Government to take all appropriate steps to help these people, addressing the most urgent issues they face, including extreme poverty and the loss of their land.

Colombia

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of UK projects to reduce impunity in Colombia.

Chris Bryant: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary announced a further £250,000 in UK project funds to help tackle impunity in Colombia in March 2009. These projects are ongoing in the current financial year, and it is too early to make an assessment of their effectiveness. The largest relevant project is being implemented with the assistance of the UN Office of Drugs and Crime and is being specifically tailored to meet needs identified by those involved in the Colombian judicial process, including investigators, lawyers and judges. Specialised training will commence in February 2010.
	The other project funded with the additional money is a report reviewing the five years of operation of the Accusatorial Criminal Justice System. It will produce examples of best practice and draft proposals to present to Congress and the authorities aimed at improving the judicial process.

Colombia: Overseas Trade

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has held with his US counterpart on the negotiation of a free trade agreement between the US and Colombia; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: Neither my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary nor I have held recent discussions with our US counterparts on the negotiation of any free trade agreement between the United States and Colombia.

Colombia: Overseas Trade

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 6 January 2010,  Official Report, column 410W, on Colombia: overseas trade, for what reasons he will not withdraw from the negotiation of a free trade agreement with Colombia.

Chris Bryant: I refer the hon. Member to the response made by my hon. Friend the Minister of State (Mr. Lewis) on 26 November 2009,  Official Report, column 302W.
	We believe that free trade agreements can help to create the right circumstances for improved stability, where human rights stand a better chance of flourishing. Denying Colombia access to the economic opportunities presented by the multi-party trade agreement would undermine this prospect.
	However, we would not support an agreement that did not contain a robust and enforceable human rights clause, which would allow the EU to suspend the agreement if it is breached.

Departmental Domestic Visits

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many planned visits by Ministers in his Department within the UK were cancelled within 72 hours of the visit taking place in the last 12 months; and what the planned venue or venues were for each such visit.

Chris Bryant: The information is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers make every effort to fulfil engagements, but occasionally it may be necessary for business reasons to make changes at shorter notice than we would prefer. In those situations we always seek to minimise the inconvenience caused.

Departmental Manpower

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many officials from each other Government department are serving at UK posts overseas.

David Miliband: The number of staff, broken down by Government body, are shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Number of co-located staff 
			  Department name  UK  LE  Total 
			 UK Border Agency-Visa staff 415 1,443 1,858 
			 Ministry of Defence 358 154 512 
			 Department for International Development 201 247 448 
			 UK Border Agency-Airline Liaison Officers 47 39 86 
			 British Council 9 48 57 
			 Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs 17 18 35 
			 Department for Work and Pensions 2 12 14 
			 Metropolitan Police 12 2 14 
			 Department of Transport 5 5 10 
			 Others 20 24 44 
			 Totals 1,086 1,992 3,078

Departmental Pay

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the  (a) average and  (b) highest non-consolidated performance related payment for senior civil servants in his Department was in cash terms in each of the last five years.

Chris Bryant: holding answer 30 November 2009
	For the years 2006-07 to 2008-09, I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my noble Friend Lord Brett on 12 January 2010,  Official Report,  House of Lords, column WA146.
	For the highest amount paid out to an individual, in each case a senior civil servant, for the years 2004-05 to 2005-06, I refer the hon. Member to the reply by my hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield Heeley (Meg Munn) to the hon. Member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable) on 3 July 2008,  Official Report, column 1125W.
	The average non-consolidated performance related payment for senior civil servants in 2004-05 was £2,128 in 2004-05 and £4,025 in 2005-06.

Departmental Pay

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 25 November 2009,  Official Report, column 161W, on departmental pay, how much was paid out in total under his Department's main bonus scheme in each year since 1997; how much was paid out on average under the main bonus scheme to each of those whose received money from it in each year since 1997; how much the highest amount paid out to an individual under the main bonus scheme was in each year since 1997; how many individuals received a payment under the main bonus scheme in each year since 1997; how much was paid out in total under the in-year bonus scheme in each year since 1997; how much was paid out on average under the in-year bonus scheme to each of those who received money from it in each year since 1997; what the highest amount paid out to an individual was under the in-year bonus scheme in each year since 1997; and how many individuals received a payment under the in-year bonus scheme in each year since 1997.

Chris Bryant: Payment of non-consolidated, variable pay linked to performance was introduced in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 2002. We reward staff who are performing most effectively, frequently in dangerous and difficult posts. Bonuses represented 2.97 per cent. of our 2008-09 payroll costs. In 2004, we moved to in-house payroll provision. New data prior to 2004 can be extracted only at a disproportionate cost, but some information has previously been published in the  Official Report as follows.
	The total number of individuals receiving bonuses was:
	
		
			   Main scheme  In-year scheme 
			 2005-06 4,770 946 
			 2006-07 4,838 748 
			 2007-08 4,702 952 
			 2008-09 4,478 1,190 
		
	
	For the total sums paid out under the main bonus scheme, and the in-year scheme, for 2006-07, I refer the hon. Member to the reply by my right hon. Friend the Member for Eastwood (Mr. Murphy) to the hon. Member for Upper Bann (David Simpson) on 5 July 2007,  Official Report, column 1142W; for 2002-06 in the reply by my right hon. Friend the Member for Ashfield (Mr. Hoon) to my right hon. Friend the Member for Leicester East (Keith Vaz) on 27 November 2006,  Official Report, column 462W.
	The main scheme paid out £6,333,024 in 2007-08 and £7,054,036 in 2008-09. The in-year scheme paid out £415,128 and £517,800 in the same periods.
	For the highest amount paid out to an individual, for the years 2004-05 to 2005-06, I refer the hon. Member to the reply by my hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield Heeley (Meg Munn) to the hon. Member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable) on 3 July 2008,  Official Report, column 1125W. For the years 2006-07 to 2008-09, I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my noble Friend Lord Brett on 12 January 2010,  Official Report,  House of Lords,  column WA146.
	The highest amount paid under the in-year scheme has been £2,000 since 2005-06. The average amount paid in the in-year scheme in the period 2005-09 has been successively £946, £748, £952 and £1,190. The average amount paid in the main scheme has been successively £1,083; £1,217; £1,303; £1,553.

Departmental Pay

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 25 November 2009,  Official Report, column 161W, on departmental pay, how much his Department has paid out in bonuses to staff in each year since 1997.

Chris Bryant: I refer the hon. Member to the response I gave in PQ 303591.

Departmental Training

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many sessions of media training were organised for Ministers in his Department in each of the last three years.

Chris Bryant: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 30 November 2009,  Official Report, column 423W.

Equatorial Guinea: Human Rights

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Director-General of UNESCO on the naming of the UNESCO-Obiang Nguema Mbasogo International Prize for Research in the Life Sciences in light of the human rights record of the government of Equatorial Guinea.

Ivan Lewis: We are concerned about the human rights situation in Equatorial Guinea, and made this clear at the UN Human Rights Council on 9 December 2009, when Equatorial Guinea underwent its Universal Periodic Review. Our ambassador to Equatorial Guinea will continue to raise our concerns with the Equato-Guinean authorities during his visits to the country. However, we have no plans to make representations to the Director General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) about the creation of the new UNESCO-Obiang prize, which was a matter for the UNESCO Executive Board.

Morocco

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what definition of the border of Morocco is used for the purposes of the EU-Morocco Association Agreement.

Ivan Lewis: There is no definition of the borders of Morocco within the text of the EU-Morocco Association Agreement of 1996, which entered into force on 1 March 2000.
	In practice, for the purposes of application of the tariff preference provisions of the Agreement, the European Commission provides each member state with details of the relevant issuing offices in Morocco which are approved to authenticate tariff preference documents. If in doubt HM Revenue and Customs would refer any queries to the European Commission.

North Korea: Human Rights

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the human rights situation in North Korea; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: North Korea has one of the worst human rights records in the world. Although North Korea denies access to human rights organisations, including the UN, information from a variety of sources, much of it from North Korean defectors, paints a picture of serious and widespread abuse, namely:
	political prison camps and labour rehabilitation camps;
	regular use of the death penalty (including extra-judicial and public executions);
	routine use of torture and inhumane treatment;
	severe restrictions of freedom of speech, movement, assembly, and information.
	We raised these issues most recently in December 2009 at the UN Universal Periodic Review of the human rights situation in North Korea (in Geneva). We pressed North Korea to allow the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in North Korea access to their country to make a full assessment of the human rights situation. The EU has also offered to restart a bilateral dialogue on human rights but North Korea refuses to do so until the EU stops proposing resolutions against North Korea.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Antisocial Behaviour: Coventry

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how much funding his Department has made available to tackle antisocial behaviour in Coventry in each year since 1997;
	(2)  what recent discussions his Department has had with the Coventry Community Safety Partnership on the effectiveness of measures to reduce the incidence of antisocial behaviour in Coventry.

Alan Campbell: As with all other crime and disorder reduction partnerships (CDRPs), Coventry was allocated £25,000 a year from 2003-04 as a contribution towards funding an ASB co-ordinator post. In 2005-06, in England the antisocial co-ordinators grant was pooled within the safer and stronger communities fund. This pooled budget supports the delivery of outcomes and indicators relating to antisocial behaviour in local area agreements (LAAs).
	Other budgets also contribute towards the wider cross-Government strategy to tackle antisocial behaviour. The Government are committed to diverting young people from crime and antisocial behaviour as demonstrated by our investment of around £2 billion on prevention, including activity such as sure start children's centres, parenting support and positive activities. Last year we launched the Youth Crime Action Plan, a cross-government programme of action to tackle youth crime and antisocial behaviour and reduce re-offending. It set out a triple track approach of enforcement where behaviour is unacceptable, non-negotiable support and challenge to children and families where it is needed and better and earlier prevention. This builds on major progress we have made in the last decade in tackling youth offending. Backed by £100 million of new investment it has led to significant action over the past year and a half, which has made a real difference to young people, families and communities. The number of young people entering the criminal justice system for the first time is falling. The number in England fell from 94,481 in 2007-08 to 74,033 in 2008-09-a 21.6 per cent. decrease.
	Home Office led activities also act to tackle antisocial behaviour, for example the introduction of community support officers, but a monetary value cannot be assigned to that contribution.
	While I have not had discussions with the community safety team in Coventry I am pleased to hear that Coventry community safety partnership has an overarching strategy and action plan to tackle and reduce antisocial behaviour (ASB) in the city, which has been developed and is delivered through a range of agencies who are members of a Coventry ASB strategic group. On 13 October 2009 I wrote out to all CDRPs challenging them to develop and publicise a set of minimum standards for ASB and communicate that effectively to the public, including:
	reducing perceptions of ASB year on year;
	regular updates for every community on what is being done to tackle antisocial behaviour-including an expectation to publicise ASBOs to the local community;
	offer support and practical help to victims of ASB;
	provide residents with a right of complaint when effective action is not taken by local agencies through existing channels; and
	taking reports of ASB seriously by recording and investigating all cases and committing to keeping victims informed of action taken.
	I am particularly pleased that Coventry community safety partnership has already been proactive in devising the minimum standards and that in September 2009 produced a synopsis for the Home Office, which showed how they already deal with and publicise many, varied aspects of ASB and related crime in terms of response times, reporting outcomes to callers, use of enforcement activity and use of council weblinks by which to report and get feedback on information.

Association of Chief Police Officers

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what work is undertaken by the Association of Chief Police Officers' regional intelligence units.

David Hanson: The 10 ACPO Regional Intelligence Units share intelligence and information in order to build a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the threat and risk from serious organised crime. They also provide intelligence support to coordinate activity against those individuals or groups posing the greatest threat thereby maximising available resource capabilities and the reduction of harm. The RIUs are currently in the process of expanding to accommodate in each unit personnel from the Serious Organised Crime Agency, Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs and the UK Borders Agency that will support the development of a more integrated intelligence landscape across all the law enforcement agencies for serious organised crime.

Asylum

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate his Department has made of the number of refused asylum seekers remaining  (a) illegally and  (b) pending appeal in (i) the UK, (ii) England and (iii) each region in each of the last five years.

Phil Woolas: The number of individuals who receive a decision to refuse them asylum and the number who are removed from the UK or depart voluntarily are published quarterly and can be found on the Home Office website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html
	The following table shows the number of outstanding asylum appeals before the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal (AIT) in each region of the UK and in England only in December 2006, December 2007, December 2008 and November 2009.
	
		
			  Asylum and Immigration Tribunal, outstanding asylum appeals 
			   December 2006  December 2007  December 2008  November 2009 
			 Midlands 507 376 321 495 
			 Northeast and Northwest 940 635 556 898 
			 Scotland 182 241 167 172 
			 Birmingham ASC(1) - - 106 118 
			 Northern Region 1,629 1,252 1,150 1,683 
			 Central London 3,632 2,111 1,344 2,042 
			 Greater London and the Southeast 596 418 366 983 
			 Wales and Southwest 172 126 102 205 
			 Loughborough/Leicester(1) 413 105 30 19 
			 Southern Region 4,813 2,760 1,842 3,249 
			 AIT total 6,442 4,012 2,992 4,932 
			 (1) Birmingham, Loughborough and Leicester are Administrative Support Centres and not AIT hearing centres. 
		
	
	Prior to 2006 figures showing the number of outstanding appeals were based on a manual file reconciliation and subsequent appeal receipt and disposal figures. It is therefore not possible to break down those figures on either a regional basis or to reflect England only.

Asylum

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what  (a) financial,  (b) legal and  (c) housing support his Department provides to refused asylum seekers allowed to remain in the UK temporarily for humanitarian reasons.

Phil Woolas: Provision for the temporary support of failed asylum seekers, in the form of subsistence and accommodation required to prevent destitution is only available in certain circumstances, primarily under section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. Details of the availability of support are set out on the UK Border Agency website at:
	www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/asylum/support/apply/section4/
	The Government have introduced proposals for reform of asylum support under the draft Immigration Bill which was published on 12 November. The objectives in reform are to ensure those seeking asylum are effectively supported during the determination of their claim; that the system for achieving this is as simple and efficient as possible; and that it works towards the return of those who have no protection needs and who have no right to be in the United Kingdom.
	Funding for civil legal aid is available to anyone who qualifies, provided that the case is within the scope of the legal aid scheme. Each application is considered on an individual basis and is subject to the statutory test of the applicant's means.

Asylum

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of asylum seekers were  (a) granted asylum and  (b) allowed to remain temporarily in the UK for humanitarian reasons in each of the last five years.

Phil Woolas: The following table provides the number and proportion of persons granted asylum at initial decision stage of their application in the UK. It also includes the number and proportion of persons granted humanitarian protection and discretionary leave in each of the last five years.
	Information on immigration and asylum are published annually and quarterly. Annual statistics and the latest statistics for Q3 2009 are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html
	
		
			  Applications received for asylum in the United Kingdom, excluding dependants and initial decisions( 1, 2) , 2004 - 08 
			  Number of principal applicants 
			   Total applications  Total initial decisions  Recognised as a refugee and granted asylum  As percentage of initial decision  Not recognised as a refugee but granted humanitarian protection  As percentage of initial decision  Not recognised as a refugee but granted discretionary leave  As percentage of initial decision  Total 
			 2004 33,960 46,020 1,565 3 160 0 3,835 8 40,465 
			 2005 25,710 27,395 1,940 7 120 0 2,675 10 22,655 
			 2006 23,610 20,930 2,170 10 55 0 2,245 11 16,460 
			 2007 23,430 21,775 3,545 16 125 1 2,075 10 16,030 
			 2008(3) 25,930 19,400 3,725 19 95 0 2,075 11 13,505 
			 (1 )Figures (other than percentages) rounded to the nearest 5 (- = 0, * = 1 or 2). Figures may not sum to the totals shown because of independent rounding. (2 )Initial decisions do not necessarily relate to applications made in the same period and exclude the outcome of appeals or other subsequent decisions. (3 )Provisional figures.

Burglary

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) burglaries and  (b) robberies in respect of (i) businesses and (ii) individuals were reported in each year since 1997; and what the detection rate was for each type of offence in each such year.

Alan Johnson: Figures based on the number of recorded offences in England and Wales of (1) total burglary in a dwelling, (2) total burglary in a building other than a dwelling, (3) robbery of business property and (4) robbery of personal property are given in the following tables.
	The number of burglaries related to business properties cannot be separately identified from the recorded 'burglary in a building other than a dwelling' offences.
	
		
			  Table 1: Offences recorded by the police in England and Wales ,  1997 
			   1997 
			  Offence  Number of offences  Detection r ate (percentage) 
			 Robbery 63,072 27 
			
			 Total burglary in a dwelling 519,265 26 
			 Total burglary in a building other than a dwelling 495,810 20 
			  Note: Up until 1997, robbery of (i) business property and (ii) personal property offences were recorded together under the classification of 'robbery' and were not separately identifiable. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Offences recorded by the police in England and Wales ,  1998-99 to 2001-02 
			   1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02 
			  Offence  Number of offences  Detection rate (percentage)  Number of offences  Detection rate (percentage)  Number of offences  Detection rate (percentage)  Number of offences  Detection rate (percentage) 
			 Robbery of business property 10,481 35 12,148 25 12,394 25 13,186 27 
			 Robbery of personal property 56,354 20 72,129 17 82,760 17 108,173 15 
			  
			 Total burglary in a dwelling 473,349 22 442,602 15 402,984 14 430,347 14 
			 Total burglary in a building other than a dwelling 479,835 17 463,866 10 433,043 10 448,162 10 
			  Notes: 1. The coverage was extended and counting rules revised from 1998-99. Figures from that date are not directly comparable with those for 1997. 2. The data in this table is prior to the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for later years. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Offences recorded by the police in England and Wales ,  2002-03 to 2008-09 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			  Offence  Number of Offences  Detection rate (percentage)  Number of Offences  Detection rate (percentage)  Number of Offences  Detection rate (percentage)  Number of Offences  Detection rate (percentage) 
			 Robbery of business property 11,066 29 10,110 28 7,934 29 8,760 26 
			 Robbery of personal property 99,205 17 93,626 18 83,076 19 89,438 18 
			  
			 Total burglary in a dwelling 437,583 15 402,345 15 321,507 16 300,517 17 
			 Total burglary in a building other than a dwelling 452,516 10 417,668 10 358,851 11 344,551 11 
		
	
	
		
			   2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			  Offence  Number of Offences  Detection rate (percentage)  Number of Offences  Detection rate (percentage)  Number of Offences  Detection rate (percentage) 
			 Robbery of business property 9,454 23 9,174 26 9,344 27 
			 Robbery of personal property 91,922 18 75,574 19 70,772 20 
			
			 Total burglary in a dwelling 292,260 17 280,694 16 284,427 16 
			 Total burglary in a building other than a dwelling 329,752 11 302,989 11 297,119 11 
			  Note: The data in this table takes account of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for earlier years.

Children: Police Custody

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children have been held in a police cell in each police force area in each of the last five years.

David Hanson: The Home Office does not collect these figures.

Crime: Convictions

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of incidents of recorded crime resulted in a conviction in each of the last 10 years.

Alan Johnson: Information is not available in the form requested.
	It is not possible to track individual offences through to their conclusion at court. The police recorded crime data are principally victim-based and are the number of offences recorded in each financial year. Court proceedings data for convictions are collected by the Ministry of Justice and are offender based. These data are published on a calendar year basis and are counts of persons classified by their principal offence. For these reasons the two datasets are not directly comparable.

Crime: Lancashire

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the level of recorded crime was in Lancashire Constabulary area in  (a) 1997 and  (b) the latest period for which figures are available.

Alan Campbell: There were 119,755 offences recorded in Lancashire in 1997. There were 117,575 offences recorded in 2008-09. However, it is important to note that these two figures are not directly comparable.
	Since 1997, there have been two major changes to the way crime is recorded. The coverage was extended and the counting rules revised in 1998-99 and the National Crime Recording Standard was introduced in April 2002. For these reasons it is not possible to directly compare data for 1997 with that for 2008-09.

Criminal Proceedings: Autism

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which Minister in his Department is responsible for policy to implement proposals in the autism strategy on improving the accessibility of the criminal justice system; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Campbell: The matters raised in this question are the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice

Departmental Air Travel

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his Department's policy is on the accumulation and use of air miles by his Department's personnel flying at public expense.

Phil Woolas: The Home Office policy on acceptance of gifts, hospitality and rewards states: Members of staff travelling by air on Government business, paid for from public funds, must not use any frequent flyer rewards such as air miles, 'two for one' or equivalent schemes. However members of staff are entitled to associated benefits, such as priority booking and special lounges, when undertaking official travel. The receipt of any benefits accruing from official travel must be recorded in the hospitality book. In the case of gifts or benefits given for using a particular mode of transport it is important that the mode of transport chosen is in accordance with departmental guidelines. This guidance is widely available to all Home Office staff.

DNA and Fingerprint Database

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Newark of 30 November 2009,  Official Report, column 476W, on the DNA and fingerprint database, what foreign intelligence agencies have received DNA and fingerprint information from the UK  (a) by making a request for mutual legal assistance in criminal matters and  (b) through intelligence channels via Interpol, Europol or similar organisations in the last five years.

Alan Campbell: Mutual legal assistance is provided for the purpose of criminal proceedings or criminal investigations not for intelligence purposes. Home Office policy is neither to confirm nor deny whether a request for mutual legal assistance has been made or received.
	The information on the amount of DNA or fingerprint material that has been shared with Interpol and Europol over the last five years is not currently available and could not be recovered without disproportionate cost. The Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), which processes requests, is able however to confirm that since 1 January 2008, the DNA profiles of 150 EU nationals who have been convicted of serious offences in the UK have been shared with Interpol for comparison purposes, but not for sharing with member states.

DNA: Databases

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many profiles were removed from the National DNA Database in each month of 2009.

Alan Campbell: holding answer 12 January 2010
	 The following table shows the number of subject profiles removed from the National DNA Database (NDNAD) under the exceptional case procedure, i.e. following a request to the chief officer of the responsible police force, in each month of 2009. The table covers subject profiles submitted to the NDNAD by English and Welsh police forces and the British Transport police.
	
		
			  Number of subject profiles removed from the National DNA Database (NDNAD) under the Exceptional Case Procedure in each month of 2009 
			   Number 
			 January 17 
			 February 20 
			 March 15 
			 April 19 
			 May 36 
			 June 47 
			 July 50 
			 August 35 
			 September 43 
			 October 37 
			 November 22 
			 December 36 
			 Total 377

Human Trafficking

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many safe accommodation beds his Department funds for trafficked persons who were not trafficked for sexual exploitation.

Alan Campbell: Accommodation and support for victims of trafficking for forced labour is provided on a case by case basis. This is funded by a grant agreement with Migrant Helpline.
	Since 1 April 2009 accommodation and support has been provided for a total of 68 people identified as victims of trafficking for forced labour.

Human Trafficking: Children

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of potential child victims of trafficking referred to the national referral mechanism have been age-disputed.

Alan Campbell: holding answer 11 January 2010
	Information on the number of age disputed potential child trafficking cases is not held centrally. Competent authorities within the NRM make decisions on a case by case basis on the information provided by front line staff or other NRM partners. While assessing each case competent authority staff will consider all aspects including the age of the child but they do not contribute to any age assessment process.

Humberside Police

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) police officers and  (b) police community support officers there were in the Humberside police force in each relevant year since 1996.

David Hanson: Figures for each year (as at 31 March) from 1996 to 2009 appear in the table.
	The first police community support officers started work in September 2002, following legislation which was introduced as part of the Police Reform Act 2002. Therefore, data on police community support officers are not available prior to 31 March 2003.
	
		
			  Police officer strength (FTE)( 1)  for Humberside as at 31 March 1996 to 31 March 2009 
			   Number 
			 1996 2,041 
			 1997 2,045 
			 1998 2,021 
			 1999 1,974 
			 2000 1,932 
			 2001 1,917 
			 2002 2,058 
			 2003(3) 2,105 
			 2004(3) 2,213 
			 2005(3) 2,230 
			 2006(3) 2,224 
			 2007(3) 2,227 
			 2008(3) 2,216 
			 2009(3) 2,078 
			 (1) Full-time equivalent. All officers less staff on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave (comparable with previously published figures). (2) This table contain full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. (3) Comparable strength (excludes those on career breaks, or maternity/paternity leave). The Police Numbers Task Force (2001) recommended that a clear presentation was made of the numbers of staff employed by police forces including those seconded into the force and those on any type of long or short term absence. These new calculations were first used in 2003, and are not comparable with data prior to March 2003. The data from 2003 onwards used here are termed comparable because they have been calculated on the old basis to allow comparison. 
		
	
	
		
			  Police community support officer strength( 1)  (FTE)( 2)  for Humberside as at 31 March 2003 to 31 March 2009( 3) 
			   Number 
			 2003 0 
			 2004 0 
			 2005 20 
			 2006 20 
			 2007 194 
			 2008 318 
			 2009 321 
			 (1) This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. (2) Full-time equivalent include those on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave. (3) Police community support officers were introduced in statute in 2002, therefore data is not available prior to 2002-03.

Illegal Immigrants

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many illegal immigrants the UK Border Agency (UKBA) has discovered to be working for contractors supplying UKBA uniforms.

Alan Johnson: holding answer 7 January 2010
	There is no record of any illegal migrant workers being encountered by the UK Border Agency on the premises of the firm contracted to supply UK Border Agency uniforms.

Independent Safeguarding Authority: Manpower

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many caseworkers the Independent Safeguarding Authority employs at each grade to make barring decisions under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006; what the job specification is of such posts at each such grade; and what requirements there are in respect of  (a) competencies and  (b) professional training in relation to such posts at each such grade.

Meg Hillier: holding answer 6 January 2010
	The numbers of employees at each grade who are responsible for making barring decisions is as follows: Operational unit head four casework team manager 17 caseworker decision maker 125 several competency areas are identified for casework staff including analysis and use of evidence, people management, communication, resilience, project and programme management. Each casework employee undergoes a Caseworker Development programme (CWDP) upon joining the ISA, which consists of six weeks of intensive training made up of classroom and practical experience. Following this, casework officers, decision makers, team managers and unit heads undertake the
	University Certificate of Advanced Professional Development (UCAPD)-Professional Decision Making in Independent Safeguarding Authority Casework,
	which is an Accredited Caseworker programme. The UCAPD is accredited by Teesside university and awards individuals 60 credits/units of an academic qualification. Copies of the job specifications are available in the House Library.

Iraq Committee of Inquiry

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many  (a) documents and  (b) other items of information held in electronic format at each security classification have been submitted to the Iraq Inquiry by his Department; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether any  (a) documents and  (b) other items of information in electronic format sought from his Department by the Iraq Inquiry have not been disclosed owing to the Government's obligations to foreign governments or international bodies; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  how many and what proportion of the  (a) documents and  (b) other items of information held in electronic format at each level of security classification requested by the Iraq Inquiry have been provided to it by his Department; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  how many  (a) documents and  (b) other items of information held in electronic format at each level of security classification the Iraq Inquiry has requested from his Department; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister of State, Cabinet Office, my right hon. Friend the Member for Basildon (Angela E. Smith), on 14 December 2009,  Official Report, columns 840-41W.

Licensing

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convictions for offences under the Licensing Act 2003 there have been in each police force area in each year since the implementation of that Act; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Campbell: Information showing the number of defendants found guilty at all courts in England and Wales from 2005 (when most sections of the Act came into force) to 2007 (latest available) for offences under the Licensing Act 2003 can be viewed in the following table.
	Data for 2008 are planned for publication on 28 January 2010.
	
		
			  N umber of defendants found guilty at all courts for offences under the Licensing Act 2003 by police force area, 2005 - 07( 1, 2) 
			  Police force area  2005  2006  2007 
			 Avon and Somerset - 4 9 
			 Bedfordshire - 1 1 
			 Cambridgeshire - 2 10 
			 Cheshire 2 4 5 
			 City of London - 2 1 
			 Cleveland - 7 18 
			 Cumbria - 3 2 
			 Derbyshire 1 3 8 
			 Devon and Cornwall 1 4 1 
			 Dorset - - 2 
			 Durham - 2 6 
			 Essex - 7 19 
			 Gloucestershire - 5 4 
			 Greater Manchester 7 48 37 
			 Hampshire - 3 9 
			 Hertfordshire 1 33 27 
			 Humberside 1 2 3 
			 Kent - - 1 
			 Lancashire - 21 41 
			 Leicestershire - 27 65 
			 Lincolnshire - 1 10 
			 Merseyside - 7 37 
			 Metropolitan Police - 87 223 
			 Norfolk - 5 2 
			 North Yorkshire - 22 17 
			 Northamptonshire 3 6 7 
			 Northumbria - 1 9 
			 Nottinghamshire - 11 8 
			 South Yorkshire - 10 4 
			 Staffordshire - 25 31 
			 Suffolk - 3 11 
			 Surrey - 10 3 
			 Sussex - 21 23 
			 Thames Valley - 4 26 
			 Warwickshire - 1 1 
			 West Mercia - 5 8 
			 West Midlands - 36 54 
			 West Yorkshire - - 4 
			 Wiltshire 1 4 8 
			 Dyfed-Powys - 9 7 
			 Gwent - 8 11 
			 North Wales 8 10 13 
			 South Wales - 10 3 
			 Total England and Wales 25 474 789 
			 (1) The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Most sections within the 2003 Licensing Act came into force on 24 November 2005.  Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services-Ministry of Justice [Ref: IOS 013-10].

Olympic Games 2012: Security

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his most recent estimate is of the security costs in respect of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

David Hanson: The Government remain committed to delivering the safety and security programme for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games within the £600 million additional funding envelope for additional spending which was announced by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Olympics in March 2007, together with the budgets for security set for the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) and the London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG), and the existing substantial investment in security.

Police: Training

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what training is given to police officers on the assessment of the physical and mental condition of individuals subject to a control order.

David Hanson: All police officers receive training in making initial assessments of the physical and mental health of members of the public that they interact with during their basic training.
	Police officers involved in the management and enforcement of control orders are made aware of any known physical or mental conditions to help inform the police's management of the controlled individual. In the event that physical or mental health issues are identified by police officers in the course of their interaction with the controlled person, it is standard practice that the police provide advice, where appropriate, to the controlled individual on seeking medical support or advice. The police will also inform the Home Office to inform the management of the control order and the obligations it imposes.

Police: Weapons

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what less lethal weapons are permitted to be used by police.

Alan Campbell: As well as personal protective equipment like batons and CS spray, police forces in England and Wales are permitted to use taser and the attenuating energy projectile (AEP) round in accordance with Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) guidance. All less lethal weapons are subject to full and rigorous testing and independent assessment of their medical implications prior to introduction.

Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will issue guidance to police forces on handling complaints relating to alleged infringements of the provisions of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 in respect of  (a) internet and  (b) other interceptions; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: holding answer 12 January 2010
	I have no plans to issue guidance to police forces in respect of the offence of unlawful interception set out in Section 1 (1) of Part 1, Chapter one of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) 2000.

UK Border Agency

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the reasons are for the delay by the UK Border Agency in determining the case of a constituent of the hon. Member for Thurrock, reference N11 0518-CRTL5 included in the Agency's backlog of older cases; and how many other cases are to be determined by the Agency prior to this case.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 10 December 2009
	 The UK Border Agency wrote to my hon. Friend in relation to his constituent's case on 6 January 2010. With regards to case conclusion timeframes, the Case Resolution Directorate (CRD) will give priority to cases that may pose a risk to the public, those that can be easily removed or given status and those receiving support at the taxpayer's expense. I can also confirm that the CRD is fully committed to considering all unresolved cases by summer 2011 and is on track to do so.

United Kingdom Human Trafficking Centre: Publications

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will request the United Kingdom Human Trafficking Centre to publish a report on its activities as part of the national referral mechanism framework; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Campbell: The activities of the UK Human Trafficking Centre (UKHTC) are already reported through the UK Action Plan on Tackling Human Trafficking, which is published annually. This includes its activities as part of the National Referral Mechanism (NRM).
	In addition, the UKHTC's website publishes information regarding its work, and provides data from the NRM. After the transfer of the UKHTC's legal entity to the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), which will take effect from the start of the next financial year, SOCA's annual report will include the UKHTC's work-including activities undertaken as part of the NRM.

United Kingdom Human Trafficking Centre: Publications

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will request the United Kingdom Human Trafficking Centre to publish a report on its activities to date.

Alan Campbell: The activities of the UK Human Trafficking Centre (UKHTC) are reported through the UK Action Plan on Tackling Human Trafficking, which is published annually.
	In addition, the UKHTC's website publishes information regarding its work, and provides data from the National Referral Mechanism (NRM). After the transfer of the UKHTC's legal entity to the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), which will take effect from the start of the next financial year, SOCA's annual report will include the UKHTC's work.

DEFENCE

Armed Forces: Hearing Impairment

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what progress has been made in the provision of hearing protection for service personnel since 2001;
	(2)  how many service personnel are recorded as having experienced hearing loss as a consequence of their duty in each year since 1990.

Kevan Jones: The Ministry of Defence is continually looking at ways of monitoring and mitigating the risk in operational areas, including the development of improved hearing protection which does not hamper the operational effectiveness of combat personnel.
	The Surgeon General (SG) has set up a multi-disciplinary Defence Hearing Working Group (DHWG) to address the impact of current operations on the incidence of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) in serving personnel, set in the wider context of the Health and Safety-led MOD Hearing Conservation Programme, changing legislation and emerging technology. Compared with civilians who may suffer hearing loss due to industrial noise exposure, the relationship between troops' exposure to noise on military operations and hearing impairment is a complex one. Since January 2009, MOD has been working with the charity Deafness Research UK to develop a number of lines of research that will not only provide a more robust means of diagnosis but will also ensure that personnel have the most effective possible protection from hearing loss. Deafness Research UK hosted a highly successful symposium in December 2009, bringing together experts from the field of hearing impairment with members of the Defence Hearing Working Group.
	Regarding protective systems, on the present deployment in Afghanistan, some 3,000 sets of an improved hearing protection system known as personalised interfaced hearing protection (PIHP) are in use by front-line troops. This innovative system has been designed to protect against impulse and continuous noise, to be comfortable to wear for prolonged periods, to be compatible with personal radios, not to interfere with equipment designed to counter improvised explosive devices, and to allow the user to keep situational awareness.
	Data held centrally does not allow a comprehensive summary of how many Service personnel are recorded as having experienced hearing loss as a consequence of their duty in each year since 1990. The DHWG work now in progress includes improved data capture to allow the effects of current operations on the hearing of personnel to be assessed op a proper basis. However, patients who have attended or been admitted to our field hospitals in Iraq and Afghanistan within the 'ear/nose/ throat' (ENT) medical classification can be identified. These data are shown in Table 1 and include UK Service personnel, other NATO forces, civilians (both UK and nationals) and detainees. Note that this information is not limited to those with complaints related to hearing damage, but includes all ENT patients.
	
		
			  Table 1: Initial ear/nose/throat attendances at UK field hospitals by year and operational area 
			   Number 
			   All  Iraq  Afghanistan 
			 All (1)846 (1)682 (1)164 
			 2003 (1)290 (1)290 - 
			 2004 102 102 - 
			 2005 74 74 - 
			 2006 (1)101 76 (1)25 
			 2007 120 64 56 
			 2008 126 62 64 
			 2009 (1)33 (1)14 (1)19 
			 (1) Figures cover from March 2003 to April 2009 for Iraq and April 2006 to May 2009 for Afghanistan 
		
	
	The numbers of UK personnel in the last 10 years who have left the Services with a medical discharge with a principal cause given as hearing loss are shown in Table 2. Note that such discharges cannot be specifically linked to operational exposure.
	
		
			  Table 2: Medical Discharges with a principal cause of hearing loss, 1 January 1999 to 31 December 2008 
			   Number 
			  ICD 10 Cause Group ( 1) Naval Service  Army  RAF 
			 All 51 155 45 
			 Diseases of the ear (H60-H62), H65-H75 and H80-H83) 26 65 17 
			 of which:
			 Noise-induced hearing loss (H833) 8 39 5 
			 Other disorders of ear (H-90-H95) 25 90 28 
			 (1) Includes Royal Marines and Royal Navy 
		
	
	This table is not subdivided by year as, in accordance with Office of National Statistics guidelines, numbers less than five would be suppressed by reason of patient confidentiality, which would effectively obscure all information provided.

Armed Forces: Housing

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what recent estimate he has made of the cost to Modern Housing Solutions of upgrading all properties it manages under contract to his Department to energy efficiency Standard Assessment Procedure 81;
	(2)  how many of his Department's properties managed under contract to Modern Housing Solutions have an energy efficiency Standard Assessment Procedure 81;
	(3)  how many of his Department's properties managed by Modern Housing Solutions have an energy efficiency rating of  (a) A,  (b) B,  (c) C,  (d) D,  (e) E,  (f) F and  (g) G.

Kevan Jones: holding answer 11 January 2010
	 The Department does not use standard assessment procedure (SAP) ratings to assess the energy efficiency of service family accommodation homes. Defence Estates uses the EcoHomes06 sustainability assessment model for all major improvement works and new build projects. This is an industry recognised environmental performance assessment model and covers a wider range of environmental impacts than the SAP.

Armed Forces: Housing

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) longest,  (b) shortest and  (c) average period of time taken was to make repairs to forces accommodation after a call out in the last period for which figures are available.

Kevan Jones: holding answer 11 January 2010
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 6 July 2009,  Official Report, column 552W, to the hon. Member for Woodspring (Dr. Fox).
	Additional information is currently being collated and verified. I will write to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

Armed Forces: Housing

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether families are allowed to view armed services' accommodation before occupying it.

Kevan Jones: holding answer 11 January 2010
	While this Department will do all it can to facilitate families who wish to view service family accommodation (SFA) prior to occupation, for practical reasons this is not always possible to guarantee. However, we are currently introducing estate agent style information packs for all UK SFA properties in order to provide occupants with key information relating to their future home.

Armed Forces: Housing

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many calls have been made to his Department's special forces housing helpline in the last 12 months.

Kevan Jones: holding answer 11 January 2010
	There are several dedicated housing helplines and the information will take a little time to collect. I will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.

Defence Storage and Distribution Agency

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he plans to sell in whole or in part the Defence Storage and Distribution Agency; and if he will make a statement.

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the future of the Defence Storage and Distribution Agency at Ashchurch, Gloucestershire; and if he will make a statement.

Quentin Davies: holding answer  11 January 2010
	The Operational Efficiency Programme review of the Defence Storage and Distribution Agency (DSDA) has recently concluded, and we are currently considering its recommendations. No decisions to sell the DSDA in whole or in part have been taken, and all options currently remain open.

Departmental Advertising

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent on  (a) print,  (b) online,  (c) television and  (d) radio advertising in each of the last five years; how much has been spent on advertising in 2009-10 to date; and what percentage of advertising expenditure in each year was managed by the Central Office of Information.  [Official Report, 27 January 2010, Vol. 504, c. 5MC.]

Kevan Jones: The majority of advertising conducted by the Ministry of Defence is part of the drive to recruit the best personnel to the armed forces. The recruitment advertising for the armed forces is conducted through the Central Office of Information, and those costs are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Armed forces recruitment media spend 
			  £ million 
			   Print (press and poster)  Online and interactive TV  TV and cinema  Radio 
			 2004-05 2.0 0.8 26.3 2.3 
			 2005-06 2.5 1.6 15.2 2.2 
			 2006-07 1.8 2.3 10.1 1.3 
			 2007-08 5.2 2.8 18.7 1.6 
			 2008-09 3.6 4.3 17.4 1.5 
		
	
	The Department may promote other initiatives such as armed forces day. Spend relating to these activities, where it is available centrally, is shown in the following table. The figures given include creative and production costs, as well as media spend. Figures are not available centrally for all advertising spend and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			   Spend (£ million) 
			 2004-05 23.8 
			 2005-06 23.5 
			 2006-07 21.0 
			 2007-08 33.6 
			 2008-09 37.4 
		
	
	Figures are not available prior to financial year 2004-05 and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Figures for 2009-10 are not yet available.

Departmental Conferences

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was spent by his Department and its agencies on conferences they organised which were subsequently cancelled in each of the last three years; and what the title was of each such conference.

Kevan Jones: This information is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Information and Communications Technology

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will commission research into possible links between the use of memory sticks on the information technology platforms used by his Department and cyber-attacks on the computer systems its operates.

Bill Rammell: The MOD takes any attacks on its information networks and associated media storage devices very seriously and has robust procedures in place to mitigate against and investigate such occurrences. Furthermore new processes, instructions and technological aids are continually being implemented to mitigate human errors and raise the awareness of every individual in the Department with regards to cyber security.
	If malicious software is detected on either a network or a memory stick its origin is researched to gain insight for its subsequent containment, and mitigation practices are introduced. However no specific instances of deliberate attack, successful or otherwise, would ever be publicly divulged so as to protect the integrity of the networks from widespread scrutiny and invoke further malicious attempts. All related security issues are investigated thoroughly by a number of related MOD cyber organisations and the MOD has established significant relationships with other agencies to assist in security issues, mitigation and risk management. These include working with Centre for the Protection of the National Infrastructure (CPNI), the CESG (as the National Technical Authority), Other Government Departments and foreign allies. The MOD has also established ongoing strong relationships with the Office of Cyber Security (OCS) and Cyber Security Operations Centre (CSOC) to help maintain awareness of threats and vulnerabilities. These engagements together ensure our cyber defences are as robust as possible.
	On the technical front there are ongoing developments across Government on cyber to increase the protection of the infrastructure from attack. These include revised policies on the use of portable media and enhancements to the MOD's Defence Information Infrastructure (DII) Computer Network Defence (CND) architecture and also the introduction of measures that ensure only MOD-procured memory sticks can link with the DII network.
	Every MOD employee now has to undergo mandatory annual Protecting Information training which aims to increase awareness and understanding of information security issues.

Future Large Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what technical problems were encountered  (a) in preparation for and  (b) during the recent maiden test flight of the Airbus 400M in Spain.

Quentin Davies: The first flight of A400M took place on 11 December 2009, less than four weeks after the aircraft was handed over to the flight test team. During early testing, a number of minor issues were identified and resolved prior to first flight, as is normal for these events. During the first flight itself, a number of minor anomalies were found which were successfully managed by the flight test crew. The relevant details have been made available to Partner Nations in confidence. As is demonstrated by the three and three quarter hour flight, which is at the upper end of the planned maximum duration, none of these anomalies were considered significant or in any way compromised aircraft safety. A successful second flight was undertaken on 23 December 2009 with a third flight undertaken on 7 January 2010.
	It is considered that publication of details of the actual issues could lead to misinterpretation and may inadvertently release company sensitive information.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many F35 Joint Strike Fighters he plans to purchase; and what his most recent estimate is of the cost of each such fighter.

Quentin Davies: The procurement process for Joint Combat Aircraft remains at a very early stage. We have not taken the final investment decision and at this stage cannot confirm overall numbers or the in-service date. On 18 March 2009,  Official Report, column 54WS the then Secretary of State for Defence announced the purchase of the first three Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft. This will enable the UK to conduct, along side the US, a joint Initial Operational Test and Evaluation programme, the results of which will inform our decision of the required size of the overall fleet. The cost of an individual JSF aircraft will depend upon how many we, and other nations, buy and when we place the order.

Members: Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to reply to the email from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire dated 1 December 2009 on the Taliban.

Kevan Jones: holding answer 11 January 2010
	The hon. Member's email was not sent to the correct address. It has now been resent and a response will be provided shortly.

Military Aircraft: Accidents

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he plans to take in response to evidence on software problems linked to the 1994 Chinook crash.

Bill Rammell: The issues raised about the FADEC software were known at the time and had been factored into the operating instructions for the Chinook Mk 2.

Military Aircraft: Helicopters

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his latest estimate is of the average operating cost per flight hour of a Sea King helicopter.

Quentin Davies: The average operating cost per flying hour of a Sea King helicopter in FY 2009-10 is approximately £14,000. This includes forward and depth servicing, fuel costs, crew costs, training costs and the cost of capital charge and depreciation.

Military Aircraft: Training

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the circumstances surrounding the Chinook accident in Scotland on 2 June 1994 have been the subject of a completed simulation using test pilots; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The flight was subject to modelling by Boeing, the aircraft's manufacturer, as part of the original investigation, and again following the report of the House of Lords Committee. There has been no attempt to conduct a complete live simulation, and the facts of the case do not warrant one.

Military Aircraft: Training

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether further attempts will be made to simulate possible full authority digital engine-related causes of the 1994 Chinook accident; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The 1994 Chinook accident was thoroughly investigated at the time, by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Branch, and with the assistance of Boeing, the aircraft's manufacturer, who conducted simulations of the final flight, specifically including consideration of FADEC as a factor. There are no plans to conduct any further simulation.

Somalia: Piracy

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department has taken to assist UK-registered vessels following the most recent hijacking in waters around the coast of Somalia.

Bill Rammell: The MOD has been working comprehensively with Government Departments and international coalitions to find ways to support shipping transiting through the Gulf of Aden, focusing in particular on minimising the risk of pirate attack on merchant shipping. This includes the offer of group transits to vulnerable vessels using the internationally recognised transit corridor, protected by international forces, and the provision of planning advice and support to mariners by the Royal Navy manned UK Maritime Trade Operations office.
	The UK Government endorse the advice prepared by the contact group on piracy off the coast of Somalia, and endorsed by the International Maritime Organisation, which provides specific advice to global shipping on how to prevent, deter and delay acts of piracy off the Horn of Africa, notably through inexpensive and simple self-protection measures, as well as through advice on course and speed.
	The Shipping Defence Advisory Committee, jointly chaired by industry and the MOD and supported by other Government Departments is proving to be a good forum for liaison and a two-way mechanism for providing advice. The shipping industry is also providing liaison officers to the EU counter-piracy operation Atalanta headquarters at Northwood.
	The Maritime Security Centre Horn of Africa website (www.mschoa.org), created and maintained by the EU operation, contains general advice to shipping companies. We encourage all UK shipping to register with this website and transit through the internationally recognised transit corridor in addition to adhering to the latest maritime advisories in force throughout the piracy threat region.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Energy Performance Certificates

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent estimate his Department has made of the effect on the level of energy efficiency of  (a) owner-occupied dwellings,  (b) private rented dwellings and  (c) the commercial property sector of the introduction of energy performance certificates.

John Healey: No estimate has been made, as yet, of the effect on the level of energy efficiency of buildings following the introduction of energy performance certificates.

Energy Performance Certificates

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his Department's most recent estimate is of the rate of non-compliance with the requirement to produce an energy performance certificate in respect of  (a) domestic properties marketed for (i) sale and (ii) rent in the private sector,  (b) domestic properties marketed for rent in the social sector and  (c) commercial properties offered for sale or rent.

John Healey: The Department does not hold the information in the format required to answer this question. However, information about the number of energy performance certificates (EPCs) that have been produced is available from the EPC Register. Information about the number of EPCs produced in relation to domestic properties is available on the Domestic EPC Register and the same information for non-domestic properties is available on the Non-Domestic EPC Register. Both the Domestic and the Non-Domestic EPC Register can be accessed from the following website address:
	http://www.epcregister.com/

Energy Performance Certificates

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his Department's most recent estimate is of the number of public buildings required to have a display energy certificate which do not have such a certificate.

John Healey: Compliance with the directive is a matter for local weights and measures. There are approximately 42,000 public buildings that require a display energy certificate (DEC). The current number of lodgements can be found on the following website:
	https://www.ndepcregister.com/lodgementStats.html

Home Information Packs

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what his Department's most recent estimate is of the number of people who have paid fees to train as home inspectors; how many people are undertaking such training; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 6 November 2006,  Official Report, column 875W, on home inspectors, what assessment his Department has made of the effects on the job opportunities of people who have trained to become home inspectors of the decision to implement home condition reports on a voluntary basis;
	(3)  how many  (a) people have trained to become home inspectors and  (b) home condition reports have been commissioned on a voluntary basis since the implementation of home information pack regulations;
	(4)  with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 6 November 2006,  Official Report, column 875W, on home inspectors, what recent assessment he has made of the extent of voluntary roll-out of home condition reports; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The home condition report (HCR) remains authorised for inclusion in the home information pack (HIP) on a voluntary basis and certificated home inspectors are accredited to produce domestic energy performance certificates (EPCs) which are a required component of the home information pack. No such assessment of the job opportunities of home inspectors has been made.
	Communities and Local Government does not hold information on the number of people who have paid fees to train as home inspectors, or the number of people who have undertaken or are undertaking such training. The most recent figure supplied to us by the national EPC and HCR register operator, shows that there are 971 certificated home inspectors as of 4 January 2010. This figure may include duplicate numbers of those home inspectors who have registered with more than one certification scheme.
	Although since the decision in July 2006 to make the HCR an authorised rather than required document, we continued to promote the benefits of including an HCR within a HIP. However, take-up has been disappointing with only 327 reports lodged on the central register since 1 August 2007 and it is clear that the product as it stands is not seen as the right one either by consumers or industry.
	We still believe that consumers should be better informed about any property they are looking to buy before making what is undoubtedly one of the biggest purchases of their lives and that they want information about the condition of homes before they commit to buying them. As a result Margaret Beckett established the Working Group on condition information in the home buying and selling process to explore options for ensuring consumers receive appropriate information about a property's condition before they commit to buy, by building on existing products such as the HCR, and creating opportunities for all practitioners including home inspectors.

Housing: Owner Occupation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average length of tenure was in  (a) an owner-occupied dwelling,  (b) a private rented dwelling and  (c) a social rented dwelling in each year since 1997.

Ian Austin: Estimates of the average (median) length of residence at the current address for owner occupiers, social renters and private renters are provided in the following table for each year from 1997-98 to 2007-08 inclusive. These estimates are based on data from the Survey of English Housing. The survey is only able to estimate the average length of time that residents have been in their accommodation at the time of interview, this will not be the overall length of time that they will eventually spend in that accommodation.
	
		
			  Average (median) length of residence (so far) at current address by tenure, England: All households 
			  Years 
			   Owner occupiers  Social renters  Private renters 
			 1997-98 10.8 7.1 1.5 
			 1998-99 11.1 7.0 1.6 
			 1999-2000 11.3 6.8 1.6 
			 2000-01 11.2 6.9 1.5 
			 2001-02 11.5 7.2 1.5 
			 2002-03 11.3 7.8 1.7 
			 2003-04 11.0 7.5 1.6 
			 2004-05 11.5 7.4 1.5 
			 2005-06 11.8 7.7 1.6 
			 2006-07 11.6 7.8 1.7 
			 2007-08 11.9 7.8 1.5 
			 (1) Estimates are presented in decimal format. An estimate of 11.5 years means 11 years 6 months.  Source: Survey of English Housing, SEH15 dataset

CABINET OFFICE

Jobseeker's Allowance: Wales

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many and what proportion of jobseeker's allowance claimants in each constituency in Wales had been claiming the allowance for  (a) up to three,  (b) between three and six,  (c) between six and 12 and  (d) between 12 and 24 months in each month since September 2009; and if she will make a statement.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated January 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question concerning how many and what proportion of jobseeker's allowance claimants in each constituency in Wales had been claiming the allowance for (a) up to three, (b) between three and six, (c) between six and 12 and (d) between 12 and 24 months in each month since September 2009. (310509)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles the number of claimants of Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) from the Jobcentre Plus administrative system. Table 1 shows the number of computerised claims of Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) for people, aged 16 or over resident in each parliamentary constituency in Wales, by duration of the claim. Table 2 shows the percentage of all claimants in each constituency by duration of the claim.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
	Tables 1 and 2 will be placed in the Library of the House.

Official Residences: Repairs and Maintenance

Eric Pickles: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office with reference to the answer of 20 March 2008,  Official Report, column 1303W, on official residences: repairs and maintenance, what the cost was of the works associated with Crown Proposal 08/00696/1884.

Angela Smith: Information on capital expenditure in 2008-09 on improving Cabinet Office buildings, including the Downing street estate are included in the annual Cabinet Office resource accounts. Copies are available in the Library of the House.

WOMEN AND EQUALITY

Departmental Internet

Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality which websites her Department's staff are blocked from accessing on networked computers.

Michael Jabez Foster: The Government Equalities Office uses intranet services provided by the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG). Access is blocked to unacceptable internet sites and in addition staff are instructed not to attempt to access unacceptable sites.
	Examples of the types of websites which are blocked and must not be accessed are those which are:
	Pornographic
	Discriminatory
	Racist
	Sexist
	Homophobic
	or those which:
	Contain material, the possession of which would constitute a criminal offence, or
	Promote or incite any form of criminal or terrorist activity.
	It is not possible to list all the sites covered by these restrictions.

Equality and Human Rights Commission: Databases

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what the timetable is for the creation of the Equality and Human Rights Commission's lifestyle database; and what data sources will be used to create it.

Maria Eagle: The Equality and Human Rights Commission will be developing its Equality Measurement Framework over the next 18 months and will make available some data by the autumn of 2010.
	The Equality Measurement Framework will in large part use existing information sources from national surveys and administrative data sets, such as statistics from the British Crime Survey, Census, Crown Prosecution Service, Health and Safety Executive, Labour Force Survey and Office for National Statistics Opinions Survey.
	The Commission will also be asking data providers to consider developing these sources in ways that will allow more analysis which would be utilised by the Equality Measurement Framework. However no new data collection burden is expected to fall on individual employers or other private organisations.

EU Anti-Discrimination Legislation

Philip Davies: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what recent assessment she has made of the UK's level of compliance with EU anti-discrimination legislation.

Maria Eagle: The European Commission sent two Reasoned Opinions to the UK Government on 20 November which questioned the compliance of our domestic legislation with two European directives in certain respects. We are studying these Reasoned Opinions carefully and will reply to the Commission towards the end of January.

National Equality Panel

Bob Neill: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what groups have been invited to submit evidence for consideration by the National Equality Panel in its investigation into inequality.

Michael Jabez Foster: The National Equality Panel sent invitations to a range of equality lobby groups and academics to submit evidence to the National Equality Panel's call for evidence on economic inequality in the UK, in November 2008 to the end of January 2009. These groups included:
	EHRC
	Age Concern/Help the Aged
	Children's Right's Alliance
	Child Commissioner
	Child Poverty Action Group
	Stonewall
	Lesbian and Gay Foundation
	1990 Trust
	The Runnymede Trust
	Operation Black Vote
	The Evangelical Alliance
	The Muslim Council of Great Britain
	British Humanist Association
	The Interfaith Network
	The Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales
	The Church of England
	The National Secular Society
	The Jewish Board of Deputies
	The Hindu Council
	The British Council of Disabled People
	Leonard Cheshire Foundation
	MENCAP
	MIND
	RADAR
	RNIB
	RNID
	SCOPE
	Women's National Commission
	Fawcett Society
	National Alliance of Women Organisations
	Press for Change
	CBI
	British Retail Consortium
	Federation of Small Business
	ACAS
	Audit Commission
	ABI
	IDeA
	National and Diversity Forum
	National Council for Voluntary Organisations
	TUC
	Consumer Focus
	Engineering Employers Federation
	The Tax Payers Alliance
	Policy Exchange
	Fabian Society
	Institute for Public Policy Research
	Pensions Policy Institute
	Institute for Employment Studies
	The New Policy Institute
	One Parent Families
	Shelter
	 And academics:
	Professor. Danny Dorling
	Professor. Jane Falkingham
	Professor. Maria Evandrou
	Dr. Anne Green
	Professor Mark Stewart
	Professor Gary Craig
	Dr. Gloria Gordon
	Glen Bramley
	Jay Ginn
	The invitation to submit evidence was also put online for anybody to respond to.
	We received 25 responses, which are available online at:
	http://www.equalities.gov.uk/national_equality_panel/call_for_evidence.aspx

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Corruption

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Solicitor-General what guidelines have been issued to prosecutors on cases involving overseas corruption; and if she will make a statement.

Vera Baird: The Serious Fraud Office has published on its website a guide entitled 'Approach of the Serious Fraud Office to dealing with overseas corruption', which outlines the guidance available, see the following link:
	http://www.sfo.gov.uk/media/28313/approach%20of%20the %20sfo%20to%20dealing%20with%20overseas%20corruption.pdf
	In addition, the Crown Prosecution Service has legal guidance for prosecutors in relation to prosecuting offences of bribery and corruption. The guidance is published on the CPS website and is available at
	http://www.cps.gov.uk/legal/a_to_c/bribery_and_corruption/
	There is also prosecution guidance on corporate offending, which has relevance to bribery and corruption offences, and is available at:
	http://www.sfo.gov.uk/media/65228/coml%20joint%20 guidance%20on%20corporate%20prosecutions%20for%20 publication.pdf

Corruption

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Solicitor-General whether the Serious Fraud Office has received representations on its policy document Approach of the Serious Fraud Office to dealing with overseas corruption.

Vera Baird: The Serious Fraud office has received helpful feedback on the guidance including offering assistance as it embeds and develops.

Departmental Buildings

Sarah Teather: To ask the Solicitor-General what the  (a) area and  (b) estimated value is of (i) vacant and (ii) occupied office space (A) owned and (B) rented by her Department.

Vera Baird: The Attorney Generals' Office occupies a single rented property which contains 1157sq metres of office space. The annual rental cost is £462,820. All of the available space is occupied.

Iraq Committee of Inquiry

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Solicitor-General 
	(1)  how many  (a) documents and  (b) other items of information held in electronic format by the Law Officers Departments of each security classification have been submitted to the Iraq Inquiry; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  whether any  (a) documents and  (b) other items of information in electronic format sought from the Law Officers' Departments by the Iraq Inquiry have not been disclosed owing to the Government's obligations to foreign governments or international bodies; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  how many and what proportion of the  (a) documents and  (b) other items of information held in electronic format at each level of security classification requested by the Iraq Inquiry have been provided to it by the Law Officers' Departments; and if she will make a statement;
	(4)  how many  (a) documents and  (b) other types of information held in electronic format at each level of security classification the Iraq Inquiry has requested from the Law Officers' Departments; and if she will make a statement.

Vera Baird: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to her by the Minister of State, Cabinet Office, my right hon. Friend the Member for Basildon (Angela E. Smith), on 14 December 2009,  Official Report, column 840-41W.

Israel

Richard Burden: To ask the Solicitor-General what meetings the Attorney-General had during her visit to Israel in January 2010 at which the subject of the operation of the law of universal jurisdiction in the UK in relation to the possibility of Israeli officials, politicians or military personnel being arrested if they travel to the UK was discussed.

Vera Baird: holding answer 11 January 2010
	The matter was raised with the Attorney-General in meetings she had with Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon and Minister of Justice Yaacov Ne'eman on 5 January. In addition the issue was discussed at a meeting the Attorney had in Ramallah on 6 January with the Independent Commission on Human Rights and representatives from the Addameer Prisoners Support and Human Rights Association.

Israel

Richard Burden: To ask the Solicitor-General if she will place in the Library a copy of the speech by the Attorney General to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in January 2010 on the operation of the law of universal jurisdiction in the UK in relation to the possibility of Israeli officials, politicians or military personnel being arrested if they travel to the UK.

Vera Baird: holding answer 11 January 2009
	A copy of the Attorney General's Lionel Cohen Lecture at Hebrew university is available on the website of the British Embassy in Israel:
	http://ukinisrael.fco.gov.uk/en/
	and I will arrange for a copy to be deposited in the Library of the House.

Israel

Robert Marshall-Andrews: To ask the Solicitor-General what  (a) groups and  (b) individuals the Attorney General met on her visit to Israel on 5 January 2010.

Vera Baird: On 5 January 2010 the Attorney General met with Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon and Minister of Justice Yaacov Ne'eman with accompanying officials. She also met with the President of the Supreme Court, Dorit Beinish and had an informal lunch with other Justices of the Supreme Court. Additionally she met with the Professor Menahem Ben-Sasson, President of Hebrew university and delivered a lecture to an audience of students, faculty members and media at the university. The following day she had further meetings in Ramallah with the Palestinian Minister of Justice AH Khashan and Attorney General Ahmad Al-Mughani, Chief Justice of the Supreme Judicial Council Dr Jallad, as well as representatives from the Independent Commission for Human Rights and representatives from Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association.

Israel

Robert Marshall-Andrews: To ask the Solicitor-General whether the Attorney General's recent visit to Israel was arranged before 12 December 2009.

Vera Baird: Yes. The Attorney General was fulfilling a commitment to deliver the Lionel Cohen Lecture for 2009 at Hebrew university. This lecture was originally scheduled for June 2009, but was rearranged following the postponement of a visit at that time.

Offenders

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Solicitor-General how many employees of the Law Officers' Departments have been convicted of a criminal offence of each type in each year since 1997.

Vera Baird: The Attorney Generals' Office, Treasury Solicitors and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate have no recorded instances of any member of staff being convicted of a criminal offence during this period.
	In respect of the Serious Fraud Office and the National Fraud Authority there have been fewer than five prosecutions or convictions of staff in any one year. Therefore this information is withheld on grounds of confidentiality.
	The National Fraud Authority is unable to disclose this information for reasons of confidentiality. This applies to the period since the Agency's launch in 2008 to present.
	The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has maintained a central record of staff convicted of more significant criminal offences from the year 2000. The CPS does not maintain centralised records of staff convicted of minor criminal acts and would incur disproportionate cost in retrieving this information.
	Due to the very small number of staff convicted for more serious offences for each year, the CPS is not prepared to disclose the specific details on grounds of confidentiality. The following table provides information on the number of more serious convictions of CPS staff between 2000 and 2009:
	
		
			  Criminal convictions for significant offences 
			   Number 
			 2000 1 
			 2001 4 
			 2002 3 
			 2003 3 
			 2004 1 
			 2005 3 
			 2006 3 
			 2007 2 
			 2008 4 
			 2009 1 
		
	
	Revenue and Customs Prosecution Office (RCPO) became an independent Prosecutions Office on 18 April 2005 and was merged with the Crown Prosecution Service on 1 January 2010. There are no records of any former RCPO employees having been convicted of a criminal offence.

JUSTICE

Defamation

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the merits of establishing a libel tribunal as the preliminary forum for libel cases;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the merits of setting an upper limit for damages in libel cases.

Bridget Prentice: In response to concerns about the possibility that our libel laws are having a chilling effect on freedom of expression, the Government are setting up a working group to examine issues relating to the substantive law on libel. The terms of reference of this group are
	to consider whether the law of libel, including the law relating to libel tourism, in England and Wales needs reform, and if so to make recommendations as to solutions.
	The group will determine the priorities on which it wishes to focus, which may include the issues to which the hon. Member's questions refer.
	The working group will include media and defamation lawyers, academics, and representatives from those campaigning for libel reform and the scientific community. The scope of the group's considerations will extend to all aspects of substantive libel law in England and Wales, but will exclude issues relating to costs in defamation proceedings, where work is already under way. The working group is intended to have an intensive, short-term focus and has been requested to make recommendations by mid-March.

Defamation

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of measures to reduce defamation proceedings costs introduced on 1 October 2009.

Bridget Prentice: The Government indicated in the response to the consultation 'Controlling costs in defamation proceedings', published on 24 September 2009, that we would be monitoring the effect of the pilot and considering what further measures are needed to control costs in this area. The impact assessment further confirmed that the costs budgeting pilot would be reviewed after six months and that the measures relating to ATE insurance would be reviewed in the light of the recommendations arising from Lord Justice Jackson's review of civil litigation costs which I understand will be published on 14 January 2010.

Departmental Assets

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assets of his Department are planned to be sold in  (a) 2009-10 and  (b) 2010-11; what the (i) description and (ii) book value is of each such asset; what the expected revenue is from each such sale; and by what date each such asset is expected to have been sold.

Michael Wills: I refer the hon. Member to the response provided by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor (Mr. Straw) on 5 January 2010,  Official Report, column 50W.

Departmental Domestic Visits

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many planned visits by Ministers in his Department within the UK were cancelled within 72 hours of the visit taking place in the last 12 months; and what the planned venue or venues were for each such visit.

Michael Wills: From January 2009 to January 2010, there were seven ministerial visits cancelled with less than 72 hours notice. The following table details the dates and venues.
	Ministers appreciate the preparation and effort that goes into organising their visits; as such, any decision to cancel a visit will have been due to adverse weather, travel disruptions or essential parliamentary business.
	
		
			  Date of visit  Venue 
			  2009  
			 2 February Visit to East Hertfordshire Probation 
			 5 February Nottingham Speakers Corner Trust Event 
			 5 February Portsmouth Combined Court and Judge Black 
			 26 February Rainsbrook Secure Training Centre 
			 27 March HMP Bronzefield 
			 12 November Annual Youth Justice Convention and Wirral Youth Offending Service 
			   
			  2010  
			 8 January Plymouth Probation Offices

Departmental Internet

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will list the redesigns of websites operated by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies since 27 June 2007; and what the (i) cost to the public purse and (ii) date of completion of each such redesign was.

Michael Wills: A major refresh was carried out in early 2009 to improve the quality of the Ministry of Justice website:
	www.justice.gov.uk
	Costs include research, redesign, prototype build and content migration by external suppliers. It is not possible to separately identify the in-house staffing costs associated with this project and therefore these costs are not included. There were also no hosting or infrastructure changes.
	 (i) Cost: £92,968.75
	 (ii) Completed: April 2009
	Visitors to the MOJ website have more than doubled since the creation of the Department in May 2007 and user research demonstrated a need to improve the user experience, providing easier access to information and services and delivering more engaging content. The redesigned website delivered simpler navigation, improved news and consultations pages, enhanced search functionality and the capability to deliver visual and audio content (i.e. embedding YouTube).
	As there is more use of the internet for Government services, we need to make information about the work of the Department more readily available to citizens and the media, enhancing transparency and accountability for what we do. All our internet users-who include legal practitioners, academics and researchers-are able to use the range of resources published on our website either to work more efficiently within the justice system or to engage with the Department's day-to-day work and to contribute to our published consultations on proposals for change. This is the basis for investment in better web services for citizens.
	 (a) Other web site redesign work carried out since 27 June 2007 for agencies of the Ministry of Justice:
	Office of the Public Guardian
	www.publicguardian.gov.uk
	Cost is for work by external suppliers and does not include in-house staffing costs:
	(i) Cost: £14,981.25
	(ii) Completed: October 2007.
	Tribunals service
	www.tribunals.gov.uk
	carried out a redesign using in-house resources. It is not possible to separately identify the in-house staffing costs associated with this project.
	(i) Cost: not separately identified
	(ii) Completed: November 2008.

Human Trafficking

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice where potential victims of trafficking are accommodated whilst their case is assessed by the competent authority under the national referral mechanism.

Claire Ward: Potential victims of trafficking are able to access specialist supported accommodation from the time a referral is made into the national referral mechanism (NRM). This accommodation may be provided by the Government-funded service provider-the Poppy Project, or by other third sector organisations. This support is available throughout the NRM process. Additionally, victims that claim asylum are eligible for asylum support and may be accommodated by the National Asylum Support Service (NASS). Potential victims of trafficking under the age of 18 are accommodated by local authorities.

Human Trafficking

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many safe accommodation beds for victims of human trafficking his Department plans to fund over the next three years.

Claire Ward: The Government have invested £3.9 million over two years (2009-10 to 2010-11) in specialist services for victims of all forms of human trafficking. This investment provides 54 safe accommodation beds on a rolling basis through the Poppy Project, and includes flexible support and safe accommodation arrangements for victims of trafficking for forced labour. The success of these arrangements will inform funding decisions for the 2011-12 period and beyond.

Life Imprisonment

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people sentenced to a life term have been convicted of a homicide offence following their release in the last 10 years.

Claire Ward: Data taken from the police national computer (PNC) show that 10 people convicted of homicide (covering murder, manslaughter and infanticide) between 2000 and 2008 had previously received a life sentence for an earlier offence. It is not possible to give complete data where those already in prison may have been convicted of a further homicide.
	These figures have been drawn from the police's administrative IT system, which, as with any large scale recording system, is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. The figures are provisional and subject to change as more information is recorded by the police. Data before 2000 are not available.
	Further information on homicides is collected and published by the Home Office and can be found at:
	www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs09/hosb0209.pdf

National Offender Management Service: Manpower

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether NAPO and Unison will be consulted on planned reductions to staffing levels in the National Offender Management Service headquarters.

Maria Eagle: NAPO and Unison will be informed about planned reductions to staffing levels in National Offender Management Service (NOMS) headquarters through the NOMS Trade Union Consultation Meeting structure alongside other trade unions representing NOMS staff.

Prisoners' Release

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answers of 24 November 2009,  Official Report, column 85W and 1 December 2009,  Official Report, column 590W, on prisoners' release, whether the investigating officer's report was completed by 4 December 2009; on what date he expects to write to the hon. Member for West Chelmsford; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: The investigating officer's report was completed on 4 December 2009. I wrote to the hon. Member on 13 January 2010.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Departmental Surveys

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will place in the Library a copy of the results of his Department's most recent staff survey; which organisation carried out the survey; and what the cost of the survey was.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) will publish its October 2009 staff survey results on our website in early March. Following publication we will place a copy of the results in the Library.
	ORC International carried out the survey. Their services were procured by the Cabinet Office to deliver the first cross-Civil Service People Survey. The People Survey replaced all existing staff surveys in the civil service with a single questionnaire.
	The final cost of the 2009-10 People Survey for DFID is expected to be approximately £50,000. By procuring a single supplier for staff surveys in 2009-10, the civil service has saved 35 per cent. on the total cost of staff surveys in 2008-09.

Departmental Training

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many sessions of media training were organised for Ministers in his Department in each of the last three years.

Douglas Alexander: Training is provided to Ministers on a range of issues including handling the media, as part of their induction and continuing development in order to carry out their duties effectively under the 'Ministerial Code'.

Non-Governmental Organisations: Finance

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what criteria are used to determine which organisations take part in  (a) Partnership Programme arrangements,  (b) Strategic Grant agreements and  (c) Strategic Framework Partnership agreements;
	(2)  what criteria are used by his Department to decide which non-governmental organisations receive funding under Partnership Programme Arrangements; and if he will publish those criteria.

Michael Foster: The most recent competitive call for proposals for Partnership Programme Arrangements (PPAs) was held in 2006. The Department for International Development's criteria for Partnership Programme arrangement applications are posted on the DFID website at:
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/Working-with-DFID/Funding-Schemes/Funding-for-not-for-profit-organisations/PPAs/
	DFID does not have any Strategic Grant Agreements or Strategic Framework Partnership Agreements.

Non-Governmental Organisations: Finance

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the  (a) purposes and  (b) terms are of each current (i) Strategic Grant Agreement and (ii) Strategic Framework Partnership Agreement entered into by his Department.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) does not have any current Strategic Grant Agreements or Strategic Framework Partnership Agreements.

Non-Governmental Organisations: Finance

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he has taken to improve the mechanisms for  (a) accountability and  (b) performance measurement of expenditure from grants provided by his Department.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) requires all grant recipients to provide audited financial statements and also checks on the use of funds by conducting annual monitoring reviews. Performance measurement has been improved through the introduction of a strengthened results framework at the project level which details objectives and expected outcomes.

Non-Governmental Organisations: Finance

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many non-governmental organisations in receipt of grants from his Department are not required to provide audit information including itemised expenditure in respect of such grants.

Michael Foster: All organisations in receipt of funding from the Department for International Development are required to provide evidence about the use of funds through Annual Audited Accounts or special audited statements.

Non-Governmental Organisations: Finance

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether any funding provided by his Department to non-governmental organisations may be spent by them on communications and public relations activities.

Michael Foster: Funding provided to non-governmental organisations by the Department for International Development must meet the development assistance or humanitarian assistance tests of the International Development Act. In addition all grants must be spent in accordance with the specific objectives and criteria set out in each of the funding arrangements.

Non-Governmental Organisations: Finance

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of non-governmental organisations in receipt of grants from his Department  (a) audit themselves and  (b) are independently audited in relation to their expenditure of such funding.

Michael Foster: Grants provided by the Department for International Development require evidence about the use of such funds through the receipt of Annual Audited Accounts, or through a special audited statement. In both circumstances this follows an independent examination.

Non-Governmental Organisations: Finance

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to ensure greater accountability of expenditure by third party organisations of Partnership Programme Arrangements funding on projects.

Michael Foster: The Partnership Programme Arrangements (PPAs) provide funding in support of mutually agreed high level developmental outcomes. The Department for International Development (DFID) holds PPA organisations accountable for achieving agreed outcomes. DFID does not directly monitor the effectiveness of a PPA organisation's in-country partners.
	We are currently working with all PPA organisations to review and strengthen their performance frameworks to ensure greater accountability against agreed outcomes.

Overseas Aid

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to his contribution of 14 December 2009,  Official Report, column 645, on Afghanistan and the EU Council, how much Ministry of Defence spending on humanitarian aid will contribute to the Government's 0.7 per cent. overseas development commitment.

Douglas Alexander: The only Ministry of Defence (MOD) contribution to UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) is through its joint management of the Conflict Pool. The Conflict Pool is a tri-departmental fund managed with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the Department for International Development (DFID). Approximately 80 per cent. of spending under the Conflict Pool is projected to be ODA eligible. The MOD is expected to manage approximately £60 million of Conflict Pool funds in 2009-10.

Trades Union Congress

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding his Department has provided under the Partnership Programme Arrangement to the Trades Union Congress in 2009-10; and on what terms such grants are made.

Michael Foster: In 2009-10 the Department for International Development (DFID) provided the Trades Union Congress (TUC) with £1.2 million under the Partnership Programme Arrangement (PPA).
	This support was made available on the basis that it would be used solely for development assistance purposes as defined in the International Development Act (2002).
	As with all other PPAs, the TUC are required to report annually against mutually agreed outcomes which are set out in their PPA performance framework.

Trades Union Congress

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development for what reasons his Department enters into Partnership Programme arrangements with the Trades Union Congress; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Foster: Trade Unions form an important part of civil society globally. The Department for International Development's (DFID's) Partnership Programme Arrangement (PPA) with the Trades Union Congress (TUC) enables support to be provided to trade unions in the developing world that are contributing to poverty reduction as part of an international network.

Uganda: Homosexuality

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department has made representations to the Ugandan government on the Anti-Homosexuality Bill before the Ugandan Parliament.

Gareth Thomas: The Department for International Development (DFID) is extremely concerned by the introduction of this Bill and is working closely with the Foreign Office and with European Union (EU) colleagues on this issue. The UK Government have made clear our concerns in representations to Ugandan Ministers, including by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to President Museveni and my noble Friend Baroness Kinnock to Foreign Minister Kutesa, at the recent Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. The UK High Commissioner in Kampala has also lobbied the Prime Minister and other Ugandan Ministers on the issue. Sweden, as local EU presidency in Uganda, led an EU démarche to the Ugandan Foreign Ministry in December 2009. The Head of DFID Uganda has raised the issue with Uganda's Minister of Finance and senior officials.
	The Bill is a private members Bill and has not been adopted by the Government of Uganda or approved by Parliament. However, we will take account of the Bill's progress when taking any decisions on future funding for Uganda.

Uganda: Human Rights

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to improve the human rights situation in Uganda.

Gareth Thomas: The UK has lobbied the Government of Uganda (GoU) on contraventions of human rights. The British high commission and the Department for International Development's (DFID's) office in Kampala follow the situation closely and regularly discuss human rights issues with the GoU. For example we raised concerns over the use of force and restrictions on media freedoms during the September 2009 riots.
	DFID also provides direct assistance to a number of initiatives aimed at strengthening the protection of human rights. DFID supports the Ugandan Human Rights Commission programme of civic education, with a focus on citizens' rights. We are supporting the police and civil society groups to improve public order policing under the Deepening Democracy Programme. DFID also contributes to the Independent Development Fund that provides grants to human rights organisations in Uganda.

Uganda: Overseas Aid

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which  (a) human and  (b) civil rights organisations have received funding from his Department in supporting their work in Uganda in each of the last five years; what allocations have been made to such organisations for each of the next three years; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The Department for International Development (DFID) supports human and civil rights organisations working in Uganda through both bilateral and multilateral programmes. Organisations supported through both these channels for each of the past five years are presented in the following tables.
	
		
			   Organisations supported through bilateral and multilateral channels 
			  (a) Human Rights  
			 2005 Uganda National Health Consumers Association (UNHCO) 
			   
			 2006 Uganda National Health Consumers Association (UNHCO) 
			  Family Planning Association of Uganda (FPAU) 
			  African Network for the Prevention and Protection Against Child Abuse (ANPPCAN) 
			  National Union of Disabled Person in Uganda (NUDIPU) 
			  Katakwi Urafiki Foundation 
			  Land and Equity Movement (LEMU) 
			  The Uganda Association of Women Lawyers (FIDA-U) 
			  National Union of Researchers and Research Users (NURRU) 
			   
			 2007 Uganda National Health Consumers Association (UNHCO) 
			  Family Planning Association of Uganda (FPAU) 
			  African Network for the Prevention and Protection Against Child Abuse (ANPPCAN) 
			  National Union of Disabled Person in Uganda (NUDIPU) 
			  Katakwi Urafiki Foundation 
			  Land and Equity Movement (LEMU) 
			  The Uganda Association of Women Lawyers (FIDA-U) 
			  National Union of Researchers and Research Users (NURRU) 
			  MIFUMI Human Rights Defenders Network (MHRDN) 
			  Platform for Labour Action (PLA) 
			  Save the Children in Uganda (SCFiU 
			  Coalition for Health Promotion and Social Development (HEPS) 
			   
			 2008 Family Planning Association of Uganda (FPAU) 
			  African Network for the Prevention and Protection Against Child Abuse (ANPPCAN) 
			  National Union of Disabled Persons in Uganda (NUDIPU) 
			  Katakwi Urafiki Foundation 
			  Land and Equity Movement (LEMU) 
			  The Uganda Association of Women Lawyers (FIDA-U) 
			  National Union of Researchers and Research Users (NURRU) 
			  MIFUMI Human Rights Defenders Network (MHRDN) 
			  Platform for Labour Action (PLA) 
			  Save the Children in Uganda (SCFiU) 
			  Coalition for Health Promotion and Social Development (HEPS) 
			   
			 2008 Straight Talk Foundation 
			  National Forum of People Living with HIV/AIDS Networks in Uganda (NAFOPHANU) 
			  Uganda Network on Law, Ethics and HIV/AIDS (UGANET) 
			  Orphans Community Based Organisation (OCBO) 
			  Uganda Youth Development Link (UYDEL) 
			  Making Positive Living Attractive to Youth (Ma-PLAY) 
			  ACORD 
			   
			 2008 Amnesty International 
			   
			 2009 Land and Equity Movement (LEMU) 
			  The Uganda Association of Women Lawyers (FIDA-U) 
			  National Union of Researchers and Research Users (NURRU) 
			  MIFUMI Human Rights Defenders Network (MHRDN) 
			  Platform for Labour Action (PLA) 
			  Save the Children in Uganda (SCFiU) 
			  Coalition for Health Promotion and Social Development (HEPS) 
			   
			 2009 Agency for Cooperation and Research in Development (ACORD) 
			  Action for Development (ACFODE) 
			  Wakiso Community Development Agency (WACODA) 
			  Uganda Private Midwives Association (UPMA) 
			  African Network for the Prevention and Protection Against Child Abuse and Neglect (ANPPCAN) 
			  Mental Health Uganda (MHU) 
			  Sese Health Efforts for Development (SHED) 
			  Huys Link Community Initiative (HUYSLINC1) 
			  Makerere Women Dev Association (MAWDA) 
			  African International Christian Ministry (AICM) 
			  Bugiri District NGO Forum (BDNGF) 
			  Buddu Social Development Association (BUSODA) 
			  HEPS 
			  Kyenjojo District NGO/CBO Forum 
			  Child Aid Uganda (CHAU) 
			  Pallisa Civil Society Organisations Network (PACONET) 
			  Uganda Association for Employment and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities and Elderly (UAEEEPE) 
			  Reach the Youth Uganda (RYU) 
			   
			 2009 Straight Talk Foundation 
			  National Forum of People Living with HIV/AIDS Networks in Uganda (NAFOPHANU) 
			  Uganda Network on Law, Ethics and HIV/AIDS (UGANET) 
			  Orphans Community Based Organisation (OCBO) 
			  Uganda Youth Development Link (UYDEL) 
			  Making Positive Living Attractive to Youth (Ma-PLAY) 
			  ACORD 
			   
			 2009 Amnesty International 
			   
			 2009 United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)-child rights in Karamoja 
			   
			  (b) Civil rights  
			 2005 Uganda Electoral Commission 
			  Uganda Media Women's Association 
			  Uganda Joint Christian Council 
			  Institute for War and Peace Reporting 
			  Uganda Journalists Safety Committee 
			   
			 2006 Uganda Electoral Commission 
			  Uganda Media Women's Association 
			  Uganda Joint Christian Council 
			  Institute for War and Peace Reporting 
			  Uganda Journalists Safety Committee 
			   
			 2008 Institute for Democracy in Africa (IDASA) 
			   
			 2009 Uganda Human Rights Commission 
			  Inter-religious Council of Uganda (IRCU) 
			  Kabarole Research Centre 
			  MS Uganda 
			   
			 2009 Institute for Democracy in Africa (IDASA) 
		
	
	The agreed funding allocation to these organisations for the next three years are provided in the following table.
	
		
			  £ 
			  Organisation  Activity  2010  2011  2012 
			 MIFUMI Human Rights Defenders (MHRDN) Rights of women and children experiencing violence and abuse 78,000 - - 
			 Platform for Labour Action (PLA) Right to social security 7,000 - - 
			 Save the Children in Uganda (SCFiU) Child rights protection 78,000 - - 
			 HEPS Maternal health rights 11,000 - - 
			 Katakwi Urafiki Foundation Human rights and peace building 13,000 - - 
			 Electoral Commission of Uganda Voter education, voter registration etc. 300,000 300,000 300,000 
			 Uganda Human Rights Commission Civic education, public order training for police 50,000 50,000 - 
			 MS Uganda Civic education 30,000 30,000 - 
			 Inter-Religious Council of Uganda Civic education 85,000 85,000 - 
			 Kabarole Research Centre Civic education 60,000 60,000 - 
			 Straight Talk Foundation Sexual and reproductive health and rights 260,000 - - 
			 National Forum of People Living with HIV/AIDS Networks in Uganda (NAFOPHANU) Rights of people living with HIV/AIDS 92,000 - - 
			 Uganda Network on Law, Ethics and HIV/AIDS (UGANET) Legal and human rights response to HIV/AIDS 105,000 - - 
			 Orphans Community Based Organisation (OCBO) Rights of people living with HIV/AIDS 33,000 - - 
			 Uganda Youth Development Link (UYDEL) Rights of people living with HIV/AIDS 65,000 - - 
			 Making Positive Living Attractive to Youth (Ma-PL AY) Rights of people living with HIV/AIDS 33,000 - - 
			 ACORD HIV/AIDS rights in the workplace 67,000 - - 
			 Amnesty International Right to education 79,000 79,000 79,000 
			 Healthlink Worldwide Child rights (regional, including Kenya and Tanzania) 170,000 170,000 170,000

Uganda: Overseas Aid

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what aid his Department has provided to Uganda in each of the last five years; and what aid he expects his Department to provide to Uganda in each of the next five years.

Gareth Thomas: The Department for International Development (DFID) signed a 10-year partnership agreement with the Government of Uganda (GoU) in November 2007. Under this partnership agreement the UK Government pledged £700 million worth of development support to the GoU over the period 2007-17.
	DFID aid to Uganda in each of the last five years was as follows:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2004-05 61 
			 2005-06 72 
			 2006-07 78 
			 2007-08 65 
			 2008-09 73 
		
	
	Indicative aid allocations to Uganda over the next five years are as follows:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2009-10 75 
			 2010-11 85 
			 2011-12 85 
			 2012-13 85 
			 2013-14 85 
		
	
	Aid provided by DFID to Uganda is conditional on progress in reducing poverty, strengthening financial management and respecting human rights and international obligations.

HEALTH

Cardiovascular System: Diseases

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many lower limb  (a) revascularisation and  (b) angioplasty procedures were carried out in each strategic health authority in the NHS in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: We are unable to provide data for revascularisation. There are no specific codes for 'revascularisation of lower limb' in the national classification (OPCS-4) and cannot thus be separately identified.
	Tables providing the number of finished consultant episodes (FCEs) with a primary or secondary procedure of angioplasty of the lower limb, by strategic health authority (SHA) of treatment for the years 2004-05 to 2008-09 have been placed in the Library.
	In 2006-07 there was a SHA configuration change, where 28 SHAs merged into 10. For this reason, data for 2006-07 to 2008-09 is based on the new configuration and the data prior to this is based on the old configuration.
	It should be noted that the number of FCEs does not represent the number of patients as a patient may have more than one episode within a year.
	Reference should be made to the footnotes and clinical codes when interpreting the data.

Departmental Advertising

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of his Department's expenditure on  (a) television,  (b) radio,  (c) print and  (d) online advertising in (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2010-11.

Phil Hope: The Department's estimated expenditure on advertising for the 2009-10 financial year is given in the following table. These are provisional figures because advertising media allocations for some campaigns are still subject to change.
	
		
			  Channel  Estimated expenditure (£) 
			 Television (including interactive TV) 26,150,885 
			 Radio 6,529,145 
			 Print 9,367,713 
			 Online 9,427,545 
		
	
	The figures do not include recruitment or classified advertising costs. Advertising spend is defined as covering only media spend (inclusive of agency commissions but excluding production costs, Central Office of Information commission and VAT). All figures exclude advertising rebates and audit adjustments and therefore may differ from Central Office of Information official turnover figures.
	A total budget figure for the 2010-11 financial year cannot be provided at this stage as detailed planning for some campaigns is under way and advertising media allocations have not yet been finalised.

Departmental Sick Leave

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many days sickness absence were taken by staff in his Department and its agencies in each of the last 12 months for which figures are available; and what the cost to his Department was of such absence.

Phil Hope: The Department gives managing sickness absence the importance it deserves. Our policy 'Managing Sickness Absence-promoting attendance at work' promotes a positive approach to managing and responding to sickness absence.
	Human Resources routinely make contact with line managers and members of staff at agreed absence trigger points, advising on the policy and support available to maximise attendance and support health and well-being at work. This can include occupational health referrals, return to work interviews, making use of the employee assistance programme, and consideration of reasonable adjustments to the role or physical environment.
	Human Resources provide continued support to managers and members of staff in maintaining acceptable attendance levels and advising on process for formal action where acceptable attendance levels cannot be sustained.
	In December 2008, the Department published its policy on health and well-being for all its staff. One of the aims of the policy is to improve attendance at work.
	A new more proactive occupational health service is being tendered now which will also have an impact on attendance at work.
	The number of days of sickness absence taken by staff in the core Department in each of the last 12 months are as follows:
	
		
			   Total number of sickness absence days 
			 December 2008 1,694 
			 January 2009 1,552 
			 February 2009 1,297 
			 March 2009 1,385 
			 April 2009 1,290 
			 May 2009 1,361 
			 June 2009 1,355 
			 July 2009 1,647 
			 August 2009 1,230 
			 September 2009 1,319 
			 October 2009 1,583 
			 November 2009 1,704 
		
	
	Total estimated cost of absence for period was £2,782,214. In future this information for the core Department will be published on its website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/index.htm
	The number of days of sick leave taken by staff in the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in each of the last 12 months are presented as follows. Please note that MHRA sickness figures run one month behind so the year to date figures are as follows:
	
		
			   Total number of sickness absence days 
			 November 2008 692 
			 December 2008 796 
			 January 2009 885 
			 February 2009 794 
			 March 2009 616 
			 April 2009 785 
			 May 2009 698 
			 June 2009 635 
			 July 2009 815 
			 August 2009 998 
			 September 2009 831 
			 October 2009 831 
		
	
	Total cost of absence in MHRA for the period was £1,254,772.94.
	The number of days of sick leave taken by staff in the NHS Procurement and Supply Agency (NHS PASA) in each of the last 12 months are as follows:
	
		
			   Total number of sickness absence days 
			 December 2008 209.5 
			 January 2009 149 
			 February 2009 117.5 
			 March 2009 116.5 
			 April 2009 89 
			 May 2009 82.5 
			 June 2009 79.5 
			 July 2009 119 
			 August 2009 103.5 
			 September 2009 71.5 
			 October 2009 102 
			 November 2009 46 
		
	
	For the period December 2008 to November 2009 the estimated total cost of sickness absence to NHS PASA was £177,815.

Health Services: Finance

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people  (a) applied for and  (b) received the Help with Health Costs grant in 2008-09; what the average amount received was; what the eligibility criteria for the grant are; and what the main reasons for refusing applications were in that period.

Mike O'Brien: No grant is payable under Help with Health Costs.
	The words Help with Health Costs are used as a description of the extensive range of exemptions and remissions created to help patients meet the cost of certain national health service charges. Further details are provided in the leaflet HC11 Help with Health Costs, available at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4078082
	A copy has been placed in the Library.

Heart Diseases: Health Services

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 9 December 2009,  Official Report, column 479W, on heart diseases: health services, what the timetable is for specialised commissioning groups to designate services for adults with congenital heart disease.

Ann Keen: There is no national timetable for Specialised Commissioning Groups (SCGs) to designate services for adults with congenital heart disease. The service specification standards for these services are expected to be officially signed off by SCGs at a meeting on 28 January 2010. It is for each SCG then to decide on a timetable for the work on designation of services for adults with congenital heart disease according to local priorities.

Home Care Services

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research projects were commissioned by his Department from the Personal Social Services Research Unit for the purposes of informing the Green Paper on Shaping the Future of Care Together; and how much that unit was paid for each such project.

Phil Hope: The Personal Social Services Research Unit (PSSRU) undertook a rolling programme of work for the Department in connection with the Green Paper under the terms of a specification that was reviewed and agreed at regular intervals. The standard specification was supplemented by a number of ad hoc requests.
	The total cost to the Department of the PSSRU input was £280,000 in 2008-09 and £128,000 in 2009-10.

Hospitals: Road Salting and Gritting

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the estimated amount is of  (a) road salt and  (b) grit supplies held by hospitals.

Mike O'Brien: The Department does not collect data centrally on the estimated amount of road salt and grit supplies held by hospitals in England.

Liver Diseases: Health Services

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  when he expects to announce the appointment of a national clinical director for liver disease;
	(2)  what recent progress has been made on developing a National Liver Strategy; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: We are about to appoint a new National Clinical Director for Liver Disease. Their name will be made public shortly.

NHS Litigation Authority

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many inspections were carried out by Det Norske Veritas on behalf of the NHS Litigation Authority in each of the last three years; and how much the Authority paid to Det Norske Veritas in each such year.

Ann Keen: Det Norske Veritas (DNV) has been carrying out assessments for the NHS Litigation Authority since 1 April 2007. In 2007-08, they carried out 220 assessments, and in 2008-09 they carried out 170 assessments. DNV are expected to carry out 247 assessments in 2009-10.
	We are unable to provide information relating to payments made to DNV because this is deemed commercially sensitive.

NHS Litigation Authority

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much each NHS trust paid the NHS Litigation Authority in each of the last three years.

Ann Keen: The information requested is contained in the document NHS Contribution Data-2006-09. A copy has been placed in the Library.
	The data are also available from the Factsheets on the NHS Litigation Authority's website:
	www.nhsla.com

NHS: Dental Services

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps have been taken to inform the public of dental practices which are taking on new NHS patients.

Ann Keen: Information on dental practices taking on new patients for national health service treatment is available nationally from NHS Direct and NHS Choices. Anyone having difficulty in finding an NHS dentist should contact their primary care trust (PCT). All PCTs provide helplines. New services are opening all the time as PCTs work towards providing access for all who want it by, at the latest, March 2011. Where appropriate, PCTs advertise these services locally as they open.

NHS: North West

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 9 December 2009,  Official Report, columns 480-90W, how many full-time equivalent  (a) managers and  (b) senior managers there were in each salary band in each trust in the North West in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: The information requested is not collected centrally.

NHS: Standards

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much each primary care trust is expected to spend consulting on the NHS Constitution; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: The Department has not set any expected levels of spending.

Nurses: Manpower

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nurses were employed in the NHS in  (a) 1997 and  (b) 2009.

Ann Keen: The total number of nurses employed in the national health service in 1997 and 2008 are set out as follows
	
		
			   Headcount  Full-time equivalent (FTE) 
			 1997 300,467 246,011 
			 2008 386,112 315,410 
		
	
	The number of nurses employed in the NHS in 2009 will be released in March 2010 upon publication of the NHS Workforce Census.
	The total number of all qualified nurses (including practice nurses), midwives and health visitors has increased by 81,000 (25 per cent.) since 1997.

Nurses: Pay

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average salary was for a nurse in  (a) 1997 and  (b) 2009.

Ann Keen: The average salary of a nurse was £19,600 in 1998-99 and £30,900 in 2009. No comparable figures are available prior to 1998-99 as this was the first year in which the NHS Staff earnings survey was undertaken.
	 Notes:
	1. In the context of this answer the term Nurse has been interpreted as a qualified nurse
	2. The source of the 1998-99 figure is the NHS Earnings Survey 1998-99, available at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Pressreleases/DH_4005045
	3. The source of the 2008-09 figure is the NHS Information Centre NHS Staff Earnings April-June 2009, available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/workforce/nhs-staff-earnings/nhs-staff-earnings-april-to-june-2009
	4. Figures have been rounded to the nearest £100.

Nutrition: Health Services

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many people were recorded as having  (a) an admission and  (b) a discharge episode with a diagnosis of (i) malnutrition, (ii) nutritional anaemias and (iii) other nutritional deficiencies in each NHS trust in each month since September 2008;
	(2)  how many people were recorded as having  (a) an admission and  (b) a discharge episode with a diagnosis of (i) malnutrition, (ii) nutritional anaemias and (iii) other nutritional deficiencies in each NHS trust in each year between 1997-98 and 2008-09.

Gillian Merron: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

Obesity: Surgery

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what recent assessment has been made of the level of availability of bariatric surgery on the NHS  (a) in each strategic health authority area,  (b) in each primary care trust area and  (c) nationwide;
	(2)  what criteria are used by each primary care trust in deciding whether to provide bariatric surgery for obese patients.

Gillian Merron: The Department has not undertaken an assessment on the availability of bariatric surgery in the national health service. It is up to primary care trusts as local commissioners and providers of services to determine the most appropriate methods to deliver health care to their populations, based on clinical need and effectiveness, and following medical advice.
	The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) provides Guidance on the prevention, identification, assessment and management of overweight and obesity in adults and children, available at www.nice.org.uk/CG43. This guidance contains criteria for assessing whether to provide bariatric surgery for people who are obese.

Preventive Medicine

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps are being taken to encourage people to take up preventive health services.

Gillian Merron: 'High Quality for All: NHS Next Stage Review Final Report' (2008) committed primary care trusts to work in partnership with local authorities to commission comprehensive well-being and prevention services particularly covering obesity, alcohol harm, drug addiction, smoking, sexual health and mental health. A copy has already been placed in the Library. The Department has also sponsored guidance to improve commissioning of preventive services which was published by the Royal Society of Public Health in December 2009, and this is part of a programme of work to improve commissioning of health and well-being services.
	Community pharmacies already play a key role providing local services such as stopping smoking, weight management and supporting drug misusers. A range of other initiatives and approaches are also being introduced to encourage the take up of preventive services and to offer support, such as the Lets Get Moving initiative which screens for physical inactivity. Other screening programmes include those for breast, cervical and bowel cancer.

Strokes: Health Services

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of the 2007 National Stroke Strategy in improving patient outcomes.

Ann Keen: Improving stroke care is a national priority for the national health service and is a tier one vital sign in the NHS Operating Framework. Data collected on primary care trusts performance against the vital sign show improvements in the delivery of patient care for stroke patients. Now almost 60 per cent. of people spend 90 per cent. of their time in a stroke unit; a marked improvement since publication of the National Stroke Strategy. The most recent Royal College of Physicians' National Sentinel Stroke Audit conducted in 2008 shows a consistent improvement in performance across nine key indicators; for example there are increasing numbers of hospitals with acute stroke beds with 96 per cent. of hospitals in England now offering specialist acute stroke care.
	Since the strategy was published in December 2007, 28 stroke networks have been set up across England to work with commissioners and providers to improve services, and thereby, patient outcomes. Evaluation of the first part of the ACT F.A.S.T campaign has shown this to be one of the most effective public awareness campaigns having reached 82 per cent. of the population. The campaign has led to an increase of 55 per cent. in stroke-related 999 calls.
	We intend to commission an independent evaluation of the implementation of the National Stroke Strategy later this year.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Children: Maintenance

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many referrals were made to the Child Maintenance Options website from Jobcentre Plus in each month since July 2008; how many telephone contacts were made to the Child Maintenance Options helpline in each such month; and how many unique visits the Child Maintenance Options website received.

Helen Goodman: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many referrals were made to the Child Maintenance Options website from Jobcentre Plus in each month since July 2008; how many telephone contacts were made to the Child Maintenance Options helpline in each such month; and how many unique visits the Child Maintenance Options website received.
	Jobcentre Plus in England, Wales and Scotland provide a leaflet for all new clients with a child maintenance interest to introduce the Child Maintenance Options service and then asks them if they wish to be referred. Those who agree have their contact details passed on to Child Maintenance Options, which subsequently contacts them by phone. Although the Child Maintenance Options website address is included in the leaflet, Jobcentre Plus customers are not directly referred to the Child Maintenance Options website.
	The number of telephone contacts made to the Child Maintenance Options service and the number of unique visits to the Child Maintenance Options website are provided in the attached table. The table also includes information on the successful outbound contacts.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.
	
		
			  Number of telephone contacts made to the Child Maintenance Options service July 2008 to September 2009 
			   Child Maintenance Options calls received( 1,2)  Number of successful contacts on outbound calls( 4) 
			 July(3) 3,800 9,900 
			 August 3,800 6,200 
			 September 4,600 6,200 
			 October 5,400 4,800 
			 November 5,800 10,000 
			 December 3,900 9,100 
			 January 6,400 13,300 
			 February 6,300 15,000 
			 March 6,900 15,000 
			 April 6,300 12,800 
			 May 7,800 14,000 
			 June 7,500 16,200 
			 July 11,300 15,600 
			 August 8,400 13,000 
			 September 13,300 14,200 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of unique visits to the Child Maintenance Options website July 2008 to September 2009 
			   Unique visits to the Child Maintenance Options website( 4) 
			 July 6,000 
			 August 13,700 
			 September 22,300 
			 October 28,500 
			 November 32,200 
			 December 20,400 
			 January 39,600 
			 February 33,400 
			 March 35,500 
			 April 30,800 
			 May 31,100 
			 June 31,100 
			 July 61,100 
			 August 50,800 
			 September 72,300 
			 (1) Figures for the calls received are rounded to the nearest 100. (2) Calls received exclude those outside working hours. (3) Figures for July include those from the prototype phase of the service as well as the live running from 14 July onwards. (4) Represents the number of unduplicated (counted only once) visitors to the Option website over the course of a specified time period.

Departmental Assets

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assets of her Department are planned to be sold in  (a) 2009-10 and  (b) 2010-11; what the (i) description and (ii) book value is of each such asset; what the expected revenue is from each such sale; and by what date each asset is expected to have been sold.

Jim Knight: The Government have stated their intention to realise £16 billion in asset disposals over the period 2011-14 and will publish further details of opportunities to commercialise business assets in the coming weeks.
	One of this Department's key investment strategies during the 2004 Spending Review period was to reduce asset ownership and to contract for key services. The successful implementation of that strategy resulted in a greatly reduced asset base.
	The DWP does not own any land or property. Asset transfer has already been completed through a PFI contract known as PRIME, returning exchequer receipts of £250m in 1998 and £100 million in 2003 when the Department outsourced its estate. This arrangement covers the majority of property occupied by the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission (a Crown non-departmental public body). There is currently no intention to sell any of the Commission's assets during the years in question.
	Planned asset sales for the Health and Safety Executive (a Crown non-departmental public body) are outlined in the following table:
	
		
			  £ 000 
			   2009-10  2010-11  2011-12  2012-13  2013-14 
			   NBV  Sales  NBV  Sales  NBV  Sales  NBV  Sales  NBV  Sales 
			 Vehicles(1) 235 262 362 362 347 347 277 277 362 362 
			 Land(2) 5 1 10 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 (1) Vehicle sales are mainly related to the Health and Safety Executive's Private User Scheme which provides vehicles on a three year contract for staff travelling in excess of 5,000 business miles per annum on a shared cost basis and will occur over the course of the year as individual vehicles are replaced. (2) The land transactions relate to some very minor works at the Health and Safety Laboratory in Buxton mainly around improving access to the site. The timing of these transactions depends on a number of factors but should take place by March 2010 and April 2010 respectively. 
		
	
	The DWP disposed of the majority of its vehicle fleet in August 2007. The Department's IS/IT and telephony requirements were outsourced to EDS (now part of Hewlett Packard) and BT in 2005.
	Leasehold improvements to Jobcentre Plus sites are classed as assets but cannot be disposed of independently so the impact on value is negligible, as the assets themselves (the buildings) are not owned by the Department.

Departmental Domestic Visits

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many planned visits by Ministers in her Department within the UK were cancelled within 72 hours of the visit taking place in the last 12 months; and what the planned venue or venues were for each such visit.

Jim Knight: The information that requested could be provided only at disproportionate costs.

Departmental Freedom of Information

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many requests under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 her Department received in 2008; and how many of these received a substantive response within 20 days.

Jim Knight: In 2008, this Department received 1,469 requests of which 63 per cent. were dealt with within the 20 working day deadline. However, in the first three quarters of this year an average of 76 per cent. have been met within 20 working days.

Departmental Sick Leave

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many days sickness absence were taken by staff in her Department and its agencies in each of the last 12 months; and what the cost to her Department was of such absence.

Jim Knight: Information about sick leave taken by staff in the Department for Work and Pensions is not reported in precisely the format requested. In accordance with cross-government arrangements, the Department reports sick leave using annual average working days lost (AWDL) per full-time employee. This is calculated and reported monthly on a rolling year basis.
	
		
			  AWDL 
			   Agencies  
			   Jobcentre Plus  Pension, Disability and Carers Service  Other, including central directorates  DWP overall 
			 November 2008 9.7 9.5 7.1 9.3 
			 December 2008 9.7 9.4 7.1 9.3 
			 January 2009 9.5 9.3 7.0 9.1 
			 February 2009 9.4 9.2 6.9 9.0 
			 March 2009 9.3 9.1 6.7 3.9 
			 April 2009 9.1 9.0 6.7 8.7 
			 May 2009 9.0 9.0 6.7 8.7 
			 June 2009 8.8 8.8 6.6 8.5 
			 July 2009 8.8 8.8 6.6 8.5 
			 August 20009 8.7 8.8 6.8 8.5 
			 September 2009 8.6 8.7 6.8 8.4 
			 October 2009 8.6 8.7 6.8 8.4 
		
	
	The total amount of salary paid during periods of sickness leave between 1 November 2008 and 31 October 2009 totalled £62 million. For comparative purposes the cost of salary paid for sickness absence between November 2008 and October 2009 was 2 per cent. of the total pay bill for 2008-09, the latest available figure.
	The Department has cut sickness absence by nearly a day per full-time employee, on average, in the last year and by nearly two days in the last two years. Further reducing sickness absence and its associated cost remains a major departmental priority.

Departmental Taxis

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many miles  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in her Department and its predecessors have travelled by taxi in the course of their official duties in each year since 1997; and at what cost to the public purse in each such year.

Jim Knight: Information on mileage travelled by taxi is not available. Information on taxi travel expenditure is only available from 2005-06. Details of the separate payments made in respect of Ministers and officials could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Such information as is available is in the following table.
	
		
			  Period  Expenditure (£ million) 
			 2005-06 1.89 
			 2006-07 2.45 
			 2007-08 2.02 
			 2008-09 2.29 
			 2008-09 1.19 
		
	
	Expenditure by the Department on taxis needs to be seen in the context of a Department employing well over 100,000 people. An estimated 40 per cent. of the expenditure on taxis shown here is incurred to enable disabled members of staff to travel to and from work. This expenditure represents payment by the Department of costs which, in the case of other employers, could be claimed for under the Access to Work programme which Government Departments voluntarily forego.

Electronic Government: Publicity

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total cost to her Department was of the directgov advertising campaign, Go DirectGov.

Jim Knight: The cost of production and airtime purchased to date combined is £2.05 million.
	Directgov has the potential to enable government to make substantial savings in shifting from traditional to digital channels. For those savings to be realised, it is vital that the public are aware of and trust Directgov as the Government's official website. The aim of the campaign is to increase awareness so that Directgov is the first site people think of for Government information, and one which they both trust and recommend to others.

Electronic Government: Publicity

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much her Department spent on the production of the directgov advertisement Go DirectGov; and how much it expects to spend on purchasing television airtime for the advertisement.

Jim Knight: The cost of production and airtime purchased to date combined is £2.05 million. Unfortunately we cannot detail the specific costs of airtime and the production of the advertisement as this would be likely to prejudice the commercial interests of Directgov by weakening our bargaining position with media suppliers and also weakening our position in a competitive environment by revealing market-sensitive information or information of potential usefulness to competitors.
	Directgov has the potential to enable Government to make substantial savings in shifting from traditional to digital channels. For those savings to be realised, it is vital that the public are aware of and trust Directgov as the Government's official website. The aim of the campaign is to increase awareness so that Directgov is the first site people think of for government information, and one which they both trust and recommend to others.

Employment Schemes

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of people have found work through  (a) the day one offer,  (b) the six month offer,  (c) support for unemployed professionals and executives and  (d) the flexible New Deal since that scheme was introduced.

Jim Knight: Government have taken decisive action during the global recession to ensure that every individual has the help and support they need to get into work. Over £5 billion has been made available to put in place a substantial package of support to help job seekers back to work, with a particular focus on support for young people.
	Our measures are working. Unemployment is much lower than in previous recessions, inactivity is below what it was in 1997 and there are 400,000 fewer people unemployed today than experts were predicting at Budget 2009.
	The number and proportion of people who have found work through the day one offer, support for newly unemployed professionals and executives, the volunteering and work focused training elements of the Six Month Offer and the Flexible New Deal is not yet available.
	On 14 October 2009, we released the first set of official statistics on the number of people taking up elements of the Six Month Offer. These early data covered the period from April 2009 to July 2009 and showed that 5,990 people had entered employment using the Recruitment Subsidy and 1,460 people had become self-employed and claimed the Self-Employment Credit. Furthermore, provisional data for August 2009 showed that a further 1,500 people had used the Recruitment Subsidy and 920 people had taken up the Self Employment Credit.
	The next quarterly statistical release for the Six Month Offer will be published in January 2010. We also expect to publish the first official statistics on the Flexible New Deal in spring 2010.

Employment: Lone Parents

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of the lone parents who were moved from income support on to jobseeker's allowance as a result of changes to benefit rules in December 2008 are in employment; and if she will make a statement.

Helen Goodman: The information requested is not available.

Housing Benefit: Teenage Mothers

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many mothers under the age of 18 years old are in receipt of housing benefit.

Helen Goodman: The information is not available.

Jobcentre Plus: Compensation

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many compensation payments Jobcentre Plus have made through their Special Payment Scheme in  (a) the UK,  (b) Scotland,  (c) the Highlands and  (d) Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey in each of the last three years; and how much was paid out in each area in each of those years.  [Official Report, 1 March 2010, Vol. 506, c. 11MC.]

Jim Knight: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive, Darra Singh. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Darra Singh;
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking how many compensation payments Jobcentre Plus has made through their Special Payment Scheme in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland, (c) the Highlands and (d) Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey in each of the last three years; and how much was paid out in each area in each of those years. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	The Jobcentre Plus Special Payments Scheme is part of a wider scheme operated by the Department for Work and Pensions. Details are contained in the Financial Redress for Maladministration Guide, a copy of which can be found in the House of Commons Library.
	 (a) The number of compensation payments made across the UK and how much was paid out.
	
		
			  UK  special p ayments 
			   2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Number of decisions 5,140 4,718 7,844 
			 Amount paid (£) 1,778,600 1,958,100 2,858,300 
		
	
	(b) The number of compensation payments made across Scotland and how much was paid out.
	
		
			  Scotland  special p ayments 
			   2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Number of decisions 361 386 538 
			 Amount paid (£) 100,300 59,100 174,900 
		
	
	I am not in a position to provide a response to Questions (c)  (d). Details held on our database reflect the referring Benefit Delivery Centres and, in accordance with centralised processing, these offices cover large geographic areas beyond those specified in the question.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for how long a single person claiming jobseeker's allowance could work at the national minimum wage adult rate before that person's earnings attracted a 100 per cent. withdrawal of jobseeker's allowance in each year of the national minimum wage's existence.

Jim Knight: The national minimum wage was introduced in April 1999 and is uprated each October.
	For a single customer with no children and no disabilities there is a £5 disregard each week for part-time earnings in jobseeker's allowance. Earnings above the disregard lead to a pound for pound (100 per cent.) reduction in jobseeker's allowance.
	People moving into work of more than 16 hours a week lose entitlement to JSA. However, the effect of the national minimum wage and, where paid, tax credits mean that the overwhelming majority are better off in work than on benefit.
	The available information for a single customer with no children and no disabilities is given in the following table.
	
		
			   Adult rate of national minimum wage (£ per hour)  Minutes worked per week before 100 per cent. withdrawal rate 
			 1 April 1999 3.60 83 
			 1 October 2000 3.70 81 
			 1 October 2001 4.10 73 
			 1 October 2002 4.20 71 
			 1 October 2003 4.50 67 
			 1 October 2004 4.85 62 
			 1 October 2005 5.05 59 
			 1 October 2006 5.35 56 
			 1 October 2007 5.52 54 
			 1 October 2008 5.73 52 
			 1 October 2009 5.80 52

Jobseeker's Allowance: Leeds

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average time taken to process a claim for  (a) jobseeker's allowance and  (b) income support was in Leeds in each of the last 10 years.

Jim Knight: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Darra Singh. I have asked him to provide my right hon. Friend with the information requested.

New Deal Schemes: Young People

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of participants in the New Deal for Young People have left the benefits system without securing a job or receiving education or training in each of the last five years.

Jim Knight: The information requested is not available in this exact format, as the reason for an individual leaving benefit is not always known. However the following table sets out the destinations, by percentage, of people who have left the new deal for young people, other than to benefits, in the last five years:
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   Leavers to work  Other destination (including education or training) or destination unknown 
			 2005 52.18 47.82 
			 2006 49.85 50.15 
			 2007 50.37 49.63 
			 2008 47.86 52.14 
			 2009 37.58 62.42 
			  Notes: 1. Immediate destination is measured within two weeks of leaving new deal, using information from the Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study. 2. The year of leaving is the calendar year of leaving new deal. 3. Latest data for 2009 are to May.  Source: Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate

Social Security Benefits

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if she will ensure that applications for health care costs grants sent mistakenly to Jobcentre Plus offices are forwarded immediately to the correct office for processing; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Darra Singh. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Darra Singh:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking if she will ensure that applications for health care costs sent mistakenly to Jobcentre Plus Offices are forwarded immediately to the correct office for processing. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Claims for health care costs are the responsibility of the Department of Health. Claims are made on a form HC1 and include a prepaid envelope for its return. If a claim form is mistakenly sent to Jobcentre Plus it is automatically forwarded on to the Department of Health for action. If a customer presents a completed HC1 personally at a Jobcentre Plus office, they are advised where the form needs to be sent and if required will be given a duplicate prepaid envelope.

Social Security Benefits: Advisory Services

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much funding her Department has made available for providers on independent advice services on benefits in each year since 2004; and what steps she plans to take to ensure that disabled people have access to expert independent advice and assistance on all Government benefits and support.

Jim Knight: My Department do not fund independent advice services to offer advice to our customers. The Government, through the Department for Business Innovation and Skills, support the Citizens Advice service in England, Scotland and Wales.
	Jobcentre Plus and PDCS have dedicated staff who deal with customers on all benefits and support. In particular disabled customers have the support of Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres. Additionally help is available via the internet from Directgov.

Social Security Benefits: Drugs Misuse

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate she has made of the number of people addicted to illegal drugs who are in receipt of benefits from her Department.

Helen Goodman: Information on the number of people addicted to illegal drugs and who are in receipt of benefits is not available.

Unemployment

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people living in  (a) Herefordshire and  (b) the UK receiving services from Jobcentre Plus were aged (i) under 21, (ii) 22 to 25, (iii) 26 to 30, (iv) 31 to 35, (v) 36 to 40, (vi) 41 to 45, (vii) 46 to 50, (viii) 51 to 55, (ix) 56 to 60 and (x) over 60 years old in each month since January 2005; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The information requested is not available as figures are not kept on the number of people who access Jobcentre Plus through the various methods available, such as online, by telephone or at the Jobcentre.

Unemployment: Young People

Chloe Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people under 25 years old were not in employment, education or training in  (a) 1997,  (b) 2007 and  (c) during 2008-09 in (i) Norwich North constituency and (ii) each region.

Jim Knight: The information is not available in the precise format requested. The Labour Force Survey does not provide consistent information on participation in part time education and training prior to the year 2000. Information on participation in full time education is available on a consistent basis from 1992 onwards. The following table provides the number and proportion of 16 to 24-year-olds who are not in employment or full time education. This definition is consistent with table 14 of the Office of National Statistics (ONS) Labour Market Statistical Bulletin.
	
		
			  16 to 24-year-olds not in employment or full time education( 1) 
			   1997  2007  2008  2009 
			   Number ( thousand )  Proportion (percentage)  Number ( thousand )  Proportion (percentage)  Number ( thousand )  Proportion (percentage)  Number ( thousand )  Proportion (percentage) 
			 North East 60 21.6 63 19.3 78 23.8 85 25.8 
			 North West 149 20.7 177 20.7 185 21.4 209 24.3 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 110 20.4 126 18.7 140 20.6 145 21.8 
			 East Midlands 70 15.9 95 17.7 97 17.8 106 19.8 
			 West Midlands 117 20.7 146 22.5 149 22.8 154 23.5 
			 East of England 80 15.1 108 17.7 104 16.8 108 17.3 
			 London 174 20.7 180 20.0 183 20.0 199 20.4 
			 South East 113 14.0 153 16.7 155 16.7 179 19.2 
			 South West 70 14.5 81 14.0 91 15.6 99 17.3 
			 Wales 60 19.8 77 21.2 71 19.4 80 21.9 
			 Scotland 103 18.3 106 17.5 97 15.9 123 20.0 
			 Northern Ireland 47 22.2 36 15.6 43 18.5 50 21.5 
			 UK 1,155 18.4 1,348 18.6 1,392 19.0 1,536 20.9 
			 (1) Latest available data are for July-September 2009, data are not seasonally adjusted so the table includes data for July-September in each year.  Source: Labour Force Survey (individual datasets), National Statistics. 
		
	
	Data at parliamentary constituency area level are only available from the Annual Population Survey from 2004 onwards. The sample sizes for Norwich North constituency are not sufficient to provide reliable estimates.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Amusement Arcades: Coastal Areas

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment has been made of the regulatory burden on seaside amusement arcades; and what steps are being taken to reduce that burden.

Gerry Sutcliffe: My Department has not made a specific assessment of the regulatory burden on seaside amusement arcades. However, we have assessed the administrative burden imposed by the Gambling Act 2005 on the gambling industry as a whole to be £17.4 million per annum: £56.6 million less than the administrative costs imposed by the previous regime. The Government remain committed to reducing unnecessary regulatory burdens and will continue to work with the industry, including those representing the seaside arcade sector, to identify simplification measures.

Arts Council England

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  how much was spent by each  (a) senior manager and  (b) board member of Arts Council England in providing hospitality in each of the last three years;
	(2)  whether Arts Council England has purchased any flat screen televisions in each of the last five years;
	(3)  whether Arts Council England has investigated any thefts of its property in each of the last three years;
	(4)  for how many capital building projects Arts Council England has provided funding in the last 12 months;
	(5)  what role Arts Council England has in respect of the Government Art Collection; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: The issues raised are the responsibility of Arts Council England. The information requested is not held centrally by the Department.
	Accordingly, I have asked the chief executive of Arts Council England to write direct to my hon. Friend. Copies of the reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Arts Council England

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport to whom the administration of Arts Council England is accountable for the operational exercise of the Council's functions; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: The Chief Executive of Arts Council England is ultimately responsible for the operational exercise of the Arts Council's functions. As the accounting officer, he is responsible for safeguarding the public funds for which he has charge, for ensuring propriety and regularity in the handling of public funds and for the day-to-day operations and management of Arts Council England.
	As principal accounting officer, the permanent secretary must be satisfied that the framework of internal controls applied by the Arts Council conforms to the requirements of regularity, propriety and good financial management.

Arts Council England

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the cost to the public purse has been of each restructuring of Arts Council England in each year since 1994; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 26 November 2009
	Since 1994, Arts Council England restructuring has resulted in a total saving of £50,464,000 with further savings of £6,500,000 per annum from 2010-11 resulting from the current organisational review.
	The table shows a breakdown of the cost of each restructure. These figures include the provisions made for the costs of staff redundancies and other direct costs associated with those proposals.
	
		
			   Period of restructuring  Total cost (£) 
			 Arts Council of Great Britain to Arts Council of England 1993-95 318,000 
			 Restructuring of ACoEto4 Directorates 1998-99 1,435,000 
			 Merging of 10 Regional Arts Boards to form Arts Council England 2001-05 8,376,000 
			 Restructuring National Office 2005-06 1,859,000 
			 Shared services review 2007-08 1,143,000 
			 Organisation Review 2008-10 4,833,000

Arts Council England: Car Allowances

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will review the  (a) appropriateness of the conditions for and  (b) effectiveness of the operation of the car allowance scheme for Arts Council England staff.

Margaret Hodge: The operation of the car allowance scheme is a matter for Arts Council England.

Arts Council England: Finance

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 30 November 2009,  Official Report, column 374W, on Arts Council England: reorganisation, what the breakdown is of the expected efficiency savings of £6.5 million annually from 2010-11.

Margaret Hodge: Arts Council England has supplied the following information, setting out the anticipated annual efficiency savings of £6.5 million.
	
		
			   £ million 
			 Central grants for the Arts processing centre 1.5 
			 Changes to structure of regional offices 0.3 
			 Smaller head office 1.4 
			 Co-location of head office and London regional office 0.2 
			 Smaller executive board 0.5 
			 Streamlined Advocacy and Communications team 0.7 
			 Non-pay costs: including property savings through mobile and home working, hot desking, video and teleconferencing 1.9 
			 Total saving 6.5

Gambling Act 2005

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment his Department has made of the effects of the Gambling Act 2005 on the gambling industry.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Ongoing assessment of various aspects of the Gambling Act 2005 has been undertaken since its introduction and through its continuing implementation. This has included an administrative burdens measurement exercise, conducted by my Department in 2008 and verified by an industry expert panel, which concluded that the administrative costs imposed by the Gambling Act 2005 were £56.6 million per annum less than those imposed by the old regime.

Gambling Commission

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps have been taken to reduce the size and cost of the Gambling Commission since the introduction of the Gambling Act 2005.

Gerry Sutcliffe: My Department's current funding agreement with Gambling Commission sets a target of achieving 3 per cent. value for money efficiency savings, year on year, over the period 2008-09 to 2010-11. In 2007-08 the Commission's total expenditure was £ 16.699 million. This fell to £15.291 million in 2008-09. The Commission had a maximum of 300 employees that figure has reduced to 221. While it is right that the Commission continues to drive efficiencies, I am sure that the hon. Member would agree that the Commission must have adequate resources to discharge its responsibilities effectively.

Gambling Commission

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions he has had on the effectiveness of the Gambling Commission.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I have regular discussions with a wide range of stakeholders and partners including local government, trade associations, individual businesses and those concerned with problem gambling, as well as the Gambling Commission itself, about all aspects of gambling regulation, including the role of the Gambling Commission.

Gambling Commission

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions he has had with the Chief Executive and Chairman of the Gambling Commission on the effectiveness and costs of the commission; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: My most recent meeting with the chair and chief executive of the Gambling Commission was held on 18 November 2009 where we discussed a range of issues relating to gambling regulation, including Gambling Commission's costs and priorities.

Gambling Commission

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what simplification measures have been introduced by the Gambling Commission since the Hampton Review;
	(2)  what steps have been taken by the Gambling Commission in response to the concerns raised by the Hampton Review on the commission's operations; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Hampton Implementation Review of the Gambling Commission in 2009 suggested that, if the Commission's plans were implemented, it would be in a strong position to demonstrate the Hampton principles throughout its work.
	The Commission's response to the review is available on their website. The implementation of those plans is a key programme in the Commission's current business plan and they are making good progress on these measures. I will ask the chief executive of the Gambling Commission to write to the hon. Member with further details of how it is responding to specific points raised in the Hampton Review. Copies of this letter will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
	The Commission has undertaken a number of simplification measures and these, together with future plans, are set out in a Gambling Commission annex to my Department's 2009 Simplification Plan which can be found on the DCMS website here:
	http://www.culture.gov.uk/reference_library/publications/6520.aspx

Gambling Commission: Crime

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions he has had with the Gambling Commission on  (a) quantifying the level and  (b) assessing trends in illegal gambling in the UK.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I have not had recent discussions with the Gambling Commission about the overall level and trends in illegal gambling in the UK. There are a number of activities that could be classed as illegal gambling and I have discussed some of the priority areas such as underage betting and sports betting integrity with the Commission.

Olympic Games 2012: Culture

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been  (a) allocated and  (b) spent in relation to the Cultural Olympiad in each parliamentary constituency.

Margaret Hodge: Pursuant to my answer of 5 January,  Official Report, column 44W, many of the Cultural Olympiad initiatives, such as the London 2012 Open Weekends and the projects within the Inspire Mark Programme, are designed, delivered and financed by local organisations and such information is not held centrally.
	However, the Cultural Olympiad is already providing opportunities for people across the country to celebrate their cultural life in the run up to the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
	Three Major National Projects of the Cultural Olympiad-Artists Taking the Lead; Stories of the World; and Unlimited-are now launched. There are over 144 cultural Inspire Mark projects (sourcing funds estimated at £19.8 million so far) taking place across the UK. During the two London 2012 Open Weekend celebrations in 2008 and 2009, there were over 1,400 events across all the regions of the UK. We hope that many communities will get behind 2012 projects to build momentum behind the Cultural Olympiad as we approach the Games.

Regional Design Panels

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what funding his Department and its agencies have allocated to regional design panels since their inception.

Margaret Hodge: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and its agency do not directly allocate funding to regional design panels.

Royal Parks: Parking

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on what date he plans to make a statutory instrument introducing car parking charges in Royal Parks where charging is not currently in force; if he will hold a meeting with representatives of Royal Park users in Richmond Park before making such an instrument; and what estimate he has made of the sums likely to be raised from car parking charges in each Royal Park in the first 12 months after introduction of charging.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 11 January 2010
	I am considering a number of changes to park regulations, including introducing parking charges in Bushy and Richmond Parks. I intend to make a decision soon after considering all the evidence.
	There has been extensive consultation about the proposals and representatives of Royal Parks' users have met senior officials from the Agency to discuss these issues. The hon. Member has also raised issues with me in person.
	The most recent estimate is that parking charges in Richmond Park could deliver an income of around £345,000 net a year. Parking in Bushy could deliver £86,000 net, although this is expected to rise to over £100,000 when a car park, that is currently being located, is opened.

Royal Parks: Parking

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 14 December 2009,  Official Report, column 672W, on Royal Parks: parking, what plans there are to introduce car parking charges in Royal Parks under such regulations.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 11 January 2010
	Parking charges are already in place in most Royal Parks. I am considering a number of changes to the park regulations, including introducing parking charges in Bushy and Richmond parks. A consultation exercise has been undertaken. I am considering the results of this and other evidence and I expect to make a decision shortly.

Swimming: Concessions

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many free swimming sessions have been provided per eligible resident by each local authority participating in the scheme in the latest period for which figures are available.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Figures for the number of free swims per 1,000 eligible residents within each local authority participating in the free swimming programme will be published as part, of the next release of data on 5 February 2010.
	These figures will cover the period April 2009 to December 2009.

Tourism: Olympic Games 2010

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will bring forward proposals to  (a) provide new funds and  (b) direct existing funds into projects to increase tourism associated with the London 2012 Olympics.

Margaret Hodge: There are currently no plans to provide new funds specifically for tourism 2012 promotion in the present spending round to 2010-11.
	In terms of existing funding, VisitBritain will shortly be publishing their marketing strategy for 2012 which will look at ways to integrate 2012 games messages into everyday work. In essence this means that every aspect of tourism work will feature the 2012 games.
	Overall, in partnership with industry and the wider public sector, I am seeking to use the 2012 games to promote the wider messages and interests of destination Britain.

Tourism: Regional Development Agencies

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make it his policy to ring-fence funding allocated to regional development agencies for the promotion of the tourism industry.

Margaret Hodge: The regional development agencies (RDAs) budgets are set as part of the spending review process. In CSR 2007, the RDAs were given budgets over three years to help them prepare their corporate plans for this period.
	Six Government Departments contribute towards the RDAs' single budget and the RDAs are then free to spend according to their regional priorities. This policy is consistent with the Government's determination to decentralise decision-making wherever possible. We do not ring-fence funding for specific purposes.

Tourism: Visas

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in his Department have had with their counterparts in the Home Office on the effect on the tourism industry of the cost of visas.

Margaret Hodge: The Government strives to strike the right balance between maintaining the most secure and effective border controls in the world, and ensuring that the visa fees structure does not inhibit the UK's ability to attract those migrants and visitors that make a valued contribution. The Home Office reviews fees and charges annually to reflect changes to operating costs and to its strategic approach. Fees are set following a full discussion with departments, including DCMS.
	As part of that process, my officials attend regular meetings of the cross-Whitehall Fees Committee, chaired by the Home Office, which last met in December. The Minister for identity at the Home Office and I also met in December to discuss the impact of visa processes on UK tourism. This followed our discussion at a meeting of the ministerial group on tourism in November. We will continue to work together to ensure a proper balance between effective border controls and a vibrant visitor economy.

Video Recordings Act 1984

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the monetary value was of fines imposed under the provisions of the Video Recordings Act 1984 in each year since that Act came into force.

Si�n Simon: The Ministry of Justice have provided the following information relating to the monetary value of fines imposed under the provisions of the Video Recordings Act 1984(1).
	(1) Offences under: S.9.S.10, S.11, S.12, S.13, S.14 of the Video Recording Act 1984 as amended by Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994
	
		
			   Value of fines imposed (£) 
			 1995 29,695 
			 1996 51,335 
			 1997 35,165 
			 1998 32,065 
			 1999 53,755 
			 2000 57,430 
			 2001 55,610 
			 2002 60,055 
			 2003 40,345 
			 2004 55,275 
			 2005 22,544 
			 2006 25,545 
			 2007 19,960 
			  Source:  Ministry of Justice 
		
	
	Data prior to 1995 is not held in a comparable format and could be supplied only at a disproportionate cost.

World Tourism Organisation

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what role the UK plays in the UN World Tourism Organisation.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 11 January 2010
	The UK currently has no formal role in the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), but we continue to keep membership under review in relation to the delivery of our strategic priorities and objectives for tourism.
	I attended the World Tourism Trade Market hosted by the UNWTO in November. My officials and I also have regular bilateral meetings with tourism representatives from other countries in order to support and promote tourism in the UK and abroad. Our engagement with world tourism is also facilitated by VisitBritain's membership of the European Travel Commission, World Travel and Tourism Council and Pacific and Asia Travel Association.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Carbon Emissions

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what information his Department holds for comparative purposes on historical levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Joan Ruddock: The Department uses data that are available from several sources, including the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report, the World Data Centre for Greenhouse Gases and the World Resources Institute, to obtain information on long term historical levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. DECC also holds information on carbon dioxide levels measured at Mace Head in the Republic of Ireland since 1995.

Departmental Domestic Visits

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many planned visits by Ministers in his Department within the UK were cancelled within 72 hours of the visit taking place in the last 12 months; and what the planned venue or venues were for each such visit.

Joan Ruddock: This information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	Ministerial visits are made on the basis that they are provisional and subject to parliamentary and Government business.
	It is not normal practice for Government to report on cancelled visits.

Departmental Internet

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much has been spent on  (a) strategy and planning,  (b) design and build,  (c) hosting and infrastructure,  (d) content provision and  (e) testing and evaluation for his Department's websites in each of the last three years; and what budget has been allocated for such activities in 2009-10.

Joan Ruddock: The Department of Energy and Climate Change was created on 3 October 2008, and its official corporate website:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/
	was launched on 23 February 2009. The Department's website did not exist in 2007-08.
	The amount spent on the Department of Energy and Climate Change's website in the 2008-09 financial year was: £58,874.00. That figure breaks down as follows:
	(a) Strategy and planning: external procurement and project management costs: £18,824
	(b) Design and build: £30,403
	(c) Hosting: £900
	(d) Content provision: Staff costs: £8747
	(e) Testing and evaluation: £0
	The amount spent so far in 2009-10 for the Department's website:
	www.decc.gov.uk
	is £140,740.00.
	That figure breaks down as follows:
	(a) Strategy and Planning: (external procurement and project management costs) £53542
	(b) Design and build: £10457
	(c) Hosting: £4025
	(d) Content provision (including migration from www.berr.gov.uk and www.defra.gov.uk): £72170
	(e) Testing and evaluation: £546 accessibility fixes
	The budget for
	www.decc.gov.uk
	for such activities in 2009-10 is £340,637.
	It has not been possible to breakdown costs for other websites run by the Department; in these instances total figures for each site are shown.
	
		
			  £ 
			   Financial year  Budget 
			  Website  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10  2009-10 
			 http://actonco2.direct.gov.uk/actonco2/home.html 0 126,800 100,500 185,000 
			 https://www.energynpsconsultation.decc.gov.uk/ 0 0 68,000 68,000 
			 www.sedbuk.com 0 1,000 2,000 2,000 
			 www.Hfccat-demo.org 0 1,000 2,000 2,000 
			 http://chp.decc.gov.uk/cms/ 0 26,000 7,500 7,500 
			 http://www.Chpqa.com/ 25,000 26,500 24,500 24,500 
			 www.corwm.org.uk 26,000 34,000 4,590 30,000 
			 www.rimnet.gov.uk 15,000 15,000 15,000 15,000 
			 www.og.decc.gov.uk 12,500 12,500 8,300.00 8,300 
			 https://www.og.decc.gov.uk/EIP/pages/help.htm 0 8,000 8,300.00 8,300 
			 www.pilottaskforce.co.uk 12,500 12,500 8,300.00 8,300 
			 www.ensg.gov.uk 936.00 9,040.00 6,078.00 6,078.00 
			 www.planningrenewables.org.uk 22,105 66,212.75 7,500 7,500 
			 www.renewables-advisory-board.org.uk 0 12,000 9,000 9,000 
			 www.ukrenewables.com 0 3,000 3,000 3,000 
			 www.avoid.uk.net 0 0 15,000 15,000 
			 www.lowcarbonbuildings.org.uk/home 0 15,000 0 0 
			 www.bigenergyshift.org.uk 0 0 61,000 61,000 
			 www.decc.gov.uk/offsetting 18,000 10,000 6,000 6,000 
			 www.actoncopenhagen.gov.uk 0 0 83,529 118,000

Electricity: Scotland

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much electricity was supplied by District network to  (a) North Ayrshire and  (b) the Isle of Arran in the last 12 month period for which figures are available.

David Kidney: Statistics for electricity supplied by district are not held centrally. The relevant Distribution Network Operators (Scottish Power Distribution and Scottish and Southern Hydro-Electric Distribution) may be able to provide figures.

Employment Tribunals Service

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether an employment tribunal relating to his Department has been held since its inception.

Joan Ruddock: There have been no employment tribunals relating to DECC held since it's inception.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what information his Department holds on the percentage contribution of  (a) carbon dioxide,  (b) water vapour and  (c) methane to the greenhouse gas effect.

Joan Ruddock: Scientific publications on the subject, for example, Kiehl and Trenberth (1997, Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society) report that carbon dioxide contributes around 27 per cent. to the globally averaged greenhouse gas effect, water vapour around 60 per cent., and methane about 3 per cent. The amount of water vapour present, and hence its contribution to the greenhouse gas effect, depends on the temperature of the atmosphere. It therefore acts to amplify the contribution of the other greenhouse gases.

Natural Gas: Imports

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much and what proportion of the UK's gas consumption was imported from each country as (a) liquid natural gas and  (b) a gas in the latest period for which figures are available.

David Kidney: The latest published figures for imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and pipeline gas by country are for 2008. The following tables show volumes of gas imported by country expressed as a proportion of gas put into the national transmission systems, i.e. available for consumption.
	
		
			  (a) Liquefied natural gas 2008 
			  Imported from  Volume (million cubic metres)  Percentage of imports put into the UK inland transmission systems 
			 Algeria 287 0.3 
			 Trinidad and Tobago 535 0.6 
		
	
	
		
			  (b) Pipeline natural gas 2008 
			  Imported from  Volume (million cubic metres)  Percentage of imports put into the UK inland transmission systems 
			 Belgium 1,127 1.2 
			 Netherlands 8,440 9.0 
			 Norway 25,528 27.2 
		
	
	More recent monthly figures for imports of LNG by country are not available because of commercial sensitivity issues. However, imports and exports of natural gas are published monthly in Energy Trends Table 4.3 on the DECC website at this address:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/media/viewfile.ashx?filepath=statistics/source/gas/et4_3.xlsfiletype=4
	In volume terms these figures show the following:
	
		
			  Imports of natural gas in the 10 months to October 2009 
			  Imported from  Volume (million cubic metres)  Percentage of imports put into the UK inland transmission systems 
			 Liquefied natural gas (various sources) 7,067 10.4 
			 Belgium 140 0.2 
			 Netherlands 4,562 6.7 
			 Norway 18,700 27.6

Nuclear Power

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to expand the capacity for nuclear power generation in the UK.

David Kidney: holding answer 12 January 2010
	This Government are committed to addressing global climate change and securing the UK's energy supply and has determined that new nuclear has a role to play in the UK's future energy mix. Government's policy is that it is in the public interest to allow energy companies to fund, develop and build new nuclear power stations and that Government will take active steps to make the conditions right for investment and enable new nuclear to come on line as soon as possible.. These actions are set out in the Nuclear White Paper ('A White Paper on Nuclear Power', pp134, section 3.4-3.6) and the current status is at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/what_we do/uk_supply/energy_mix/nuclear/new/develop_forum/develop_forum.aspx

Nuclear Power Stations: Public Consultation

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many people attended the public discussion meeting on the proposed nuclear power station at  (a) Hartlepool,  (b) Heysham,  (c) Sizewell and  (d) Bradwell which was held as part of the consultation on the draft nuclear national policy statement.

David Kidney: Below are the attendance figures for the public discussion meetings relating to consultation on the draft nuclear national policy statement at the aforementioned sites.
	 (a) Hartlepool: 34 people
	 (b) Heysham: 72 people
	 (c) Sizewell: 64 people
	 (d) Bradwell:
	(i) West Mersea: 52 people
	(ii) Maldon: 28 people.

Power Stations: Carbon Emissions

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the level of  (a) carbon dioxide emissions and  (b) carbon dioxide emissions per megawatt hour for the life-cycle of the proposed new (i) coal, (ii) gas, (iii) oil, (iv) hydroelectric, (v) nuclear, (vi) wind and (vii) tidal power generating facilities.

Joan Ruddock: Any estimates of total life cycle emissions of power stations necessarily contain a high degree of uncertainty and outcomes will depend strongly on market factors such as energy prices, electricity demand profiles and plant life times. With the exception of nuclear power the department has not produced any of the requested estimates. With respect to per unit life cycle emissions, the 2008 White Paper on nuclear power estimated that the life-cycle emissions from nuclear power were in the range of 7-22gCO2/kWh of electricity generated. The white paper references two papers which have produced estimates of life cycle emissions per kWh. Nuclear Energy and the Kyoto Protocol (2002) OECD Nuclear Energy Agency; Assessing the difference: Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Electricity Generation Chains (2000) IAEA Bulletin. We summarise the information provided by these papers as follows for other technologies and our estimates for nuclear.
	Neither the Department nor the referenced studies have produced estimates for tidal power generation.
	
		
			  Technology  g C O 2 /kWh 
			 Coal 755 
			 Gas 385 
			 Oil 545 
			 Hydroelectric 4-23 
			 Nuclear 7-22 
			 Wind (UK) 9

TREASURY

Budget

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what factors are taken into account in deciding on the date of the annual Budget statement; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Code of Fiscal Stability requires there to be a Budget each financial year. It also requires there to be three months between a pre-Budget report statement and the Budget. The Chancellor decides the date of the Budget taking into account factors such as the parliamentary timetable and economic factors.

Car Allowances: NHS

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what discussions his Department has had with the Department of Health on the effect of approved mileage allowance payment rates on the number of voluntary NHS drivers;
	(2)  what account is taken of  (a) fuel and  (b) other transport costs in setting approved mileage allowance payment rates;
	(3)  if he will hold a public consultation on rates for the approved mileage allowance payment scheme;
	(4)  if he will consider the merits of providing higher approved mileage allowance payment rates for drivers working for the voluntary sector.

Stephen Timms: The Government consider the Approved Mileage Allowance Payment (AMAP) rates to be a fair reflection of the costs of business motoring for the vast majority of drivers.
	HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) conducted a review of the interaction between Approved Mileage Allowance Payments (AMAPs) and Employee Car Ownership Schemes during 2007. The resulting report was published alongside the 2008 pre-Budget report and is available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/pbr2008/comp-car-tax-805.pdf
	As part of this review, the Department canvassed the views of over 30 other Government Departments. However, the review did not cover the impact of approved mileage allowance payment rates on voluntary drivers because these rates are primarily for employees.
	HMRC accept that volunteer drivers who use their own cars and are reimbursed at or below the AMAPs rates do not make a taxable profit. Alternatively, volunteer drivers can be reimbursed the full cost of motoring provided they are able to demonstrate what those costs were. Fuel is one of the factors taken into account in setting AMAP rates, as are other costs of running a private car.
	All taxes are kept under review with any decisions, including public consultations, announced by the Chancellor as part of the Budget process.

Cheques

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment his Department has made of the potential effects of phasing out cheques by the end of 2018 on  (a) levels of recorded income of small businesses and  (b) levels of tax revenues from that income; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The closure of Cheque and Credit Clearing is a commercial decision and one that the Payments Council, an independent body that sets the strategy for UK payment systems, will take. The Government, however, recognise that certain groups still value cheques as a significant method of payment.
	Government believe it is imperative that adequate alternatives be in place for all users of cheques, including small businesses, the elderly and the Third Sector, ahead of any potential closure of the cheque clearing system.
	As part of ongoing dialogue with stakeholders, the Council will seek to undertake further analysis with regards to the effects of closing the cheque system on all users.

Excise Duties

John Pugh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue has been generated by duty on  (a) alcohol and  (b) tobacco in each of the last 10 years.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Historical alcohol duty revenue figures can be found in Table 2 of any of HM Revenue and Customs Alcohol Bulletins, copies of which can be found at:
	https://www.uktradeinfo.com/index.cfm?task=bulletinshasFlashPlayer=true
	The latest available annual data relate to 2008-09.
	Historical tobacco duty revenue figures can be found in Table 3 of the HM Revenue and Customs Tobacco Bulletin, a copy of which can be found at:
	https://www.uktradeinfo.com/index.cfm?task=bulltobacco
	The latest available annual data relate to 2008-09.

Excise Duties

David Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how much accrued to the Exchequer in excise duty on spirit-based ready-to-drink alcoholic drinks in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how much accrued to the Exchequer from excise duty on  (a) beer,  (b) cider,  (c) wine and  (d) spirits in each of the last five years;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the effect on alcohol consumption of changes in the level of alcohol duty in the last three years.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Total excise duty receipts by type of alcohols products (beer, cider, wine and spirits) can be found in the HM Revenue and Customs 'Beer and Cider Bulletin', 'Wine of Fresh Grapes or Made Wine Bulletin' and 'Spirits Bulletin', which are available from the HM Revenue and Customs website addresses at:
	http://www.uktradeinfo.co.uk/index.cfm?task=bullbeer
	http://www.uktradeinfo.co.uk/index.cfm?task=bullfresh
	http://www.uktradeinfo.co.uk/index.cfm?task=bullmadewine
	http://www.uktradeinfo.co.uk/index.cfm?task=bullspirits
	Separate figures for spirit-based ready-to-drink products are available in terms of quantities only and not in terms of duty receipts.
	Alcohol consumption is affected by the economic climate, by trends in consumer tastes and by changes in price, both from duty rates and from changes to input costs. Consumption also varies significantly at different times of the year.

Holiday Accommodation

Michael Weir: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what recent research his Department has undertaken on the geographical distribution of self-catering properties relative to the nearest hotel, guesthouse and bed and breakfast accommodation;
	(2)  whether his Department undertook research on the respective facilities offered by self-catering properties and bed and breakfast accommodation in remote and rural areas prior to the publication of the draft technical note, Withdrawing the Furnished Holiday Lettings Rules from 2010-11.

Stephen Timms: The technical note entitled 'Withdrawing the Furnished Holiday Lettings Rules from 2010-11', and the 'Impact Assessment of Withdrawing the Furnished Holiday Lettings Rules' were prepared on the basis of representations received and meetings held with interested parties, together with information contained within tax returns and other publicly available information. The Government welcome comments on these documents.

Taxation: Holiday Accommodation

John Mason: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment HM Revenue and Customs has made of the effects on city-centre executive serviced apartments operated by multinational hotel companies of the proposed abolition of furnished holiday lettings relief; and what discussions his Department has held with such companies on their future tax liability.

Stephen Timms: An impact assessment for the repeal of the furnished holiday lettings (FHL) rules was published alongside the 2009 pre-Budget report, together with draft legislation. The Government welcome comment on these documents.
	After 1 April 2010, businesses providing accommodation which would previously have qualified under the FHL rules, which could include serviced apartments, will need to consider whether the business is a trade or a property business. This will depend on the facts of the particular business. HM Revenue and Customs guidance published alongside the 2009 pre-Budget report, available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/pbr2009/withdrawing-lettings-rules-3760.pdf
	explains the factors businesses need to take into account.
	Treasury Ministers and officials have discussions with a wide variety of organisations as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.

Taxation: Holiday Accommodation

Michael Weir: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 16 December 2009,  Official Report, column 1383W, on taxation: holiday accommodation, if he will place in the Library a copy of each citation in case law referred to.

Stephen Timms: There are a number of tax cases in which the courts have considered what constitutes a trade. Two cases that consider whether the provision of furnished accommodation amounts to a trade are Griffiths  v. Jackson (56 TC 583), which contains an analysis of the case law on the difference between trade and property income, and Gittos  v. Barclay (55 TC 633), which specifically looked at whether or not a furnished holiday letting business was a trade. The Library holds a copy of both these cases.

Taxation: Holiday Accommodation

Michael Weir: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 16 December 2009,  Official Report, column 1382W, on taxation: holiday accommodation, what representations his Department received on the abolition of furnished holiday lettings relief between 20 October and 16 December 2009.

Stephen Timms: The Treasury receives representations on a range of issues. As was the case with the previous Administration, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such representations.

Taxation: Holiday Accommodation

Michael Weir: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many properties in receipt of furnished holiday lettings tax relief were awarded farm diversification grants in the last 12 months;
	(2)  for how many properties for expedited sale furnished holiday lettings tax relief has been awarded.

Stephen Timms: The information requested is not available, as HM Revenue and Customs' (HMRC) do not hold information on the recipients of farm diversification grants; these are administered by Regional Development Agencies.
	An impact assessment on the repeal of the furnished holiday lettings (FHL) rules was published alongside the 2009 Pre-Budget Report, and is available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/pbr2009/furnished-holiday-ia-3760.pdf

Taxation: Property

Andrew George: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will review the rules on the election of a property as a primary residence on individuals for the purpose of determining future tax liability to ensure that such liabilities are met.

Stephen Timms: Tax policy changes are considered through the Budget process in the usual way. The Government consider a range of factors when formulating tax policy and keep all aspects of the tax system under review.

Welfare Tax Credits

John Battle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what the largest sum of tax credits paid retrospectively to an individual or couple was  (a) in 2009,  (b) in 2008 and  (c) since tax credits were introduced;
	(2)  what the  (a) average and  (b) highest number of tax credits cheques sent to a unique claimant was in the course of (i) one year and (ii) one month in (A) 2005-06, (B) 2006-07, (C) 2007-08 and (D) 2008-09.

Stephen Timms: The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost, given the work needed to extract this from the tax credits computer system.

Welfare Tax Credits

John Battle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many contacts were made on average by  (a) all claimants and  (b) citizens of A8 and A2 countries to the Tax Credits Office in applying for tax credit in cases where the application was subsequently withdrawn in (i) 2005-06, (ii) 2006-07, (iii) 2007-08 and (iv) 2008-09;
	(2)  what record his Department holds of the  (a) largest and  (b) average number of contacts made by applicants for tax credit to the Tax Credits Office in (i) the last 12 months and (ii) January (A) 2005-06, (B) 2006-07, (C) 2007-08 and (D) 2008-09.

Stephen Timms: The information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost, as HM Revenue and Customs would need to interrogate individual claimants' records manually to establish this.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Business: Cybercrime

Tom Levitt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the level of risk to businesses posed by malevolent software; and what steps his Department is taking to  (a) mitigate such risks and  (b) tackle the use of malevolent software.

Stephen Timms: The Department has conducted a series of surveys of business to gauge the impact of IT security breaches and the response to security challenges such as the increase in malicious software. There is no doubt that such software is a serious threat to business and domestic users, and practical advice on protecting systems against it features in our work with GetSafeOnLine
	http://www.getsafeonline.org/
	aimed at informing the public and smaller businesses; our work with business through the Digital Systems Knowledge Transfer Network; and our work with the management of the Critical National Infrastructure. The pursuit of those who develop and use such software is a matter for the law enforcement authorities.

Departmental Accountants

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department takes to prevent conflicts of interest arising in the activities of accountants appointed by his Department in relation to companies entering into administration.

Ian Lucas: The Department does not appoint accountants in relation to companies entering into administration. Administrators are appointed by court order; the holder of a qualifying charge; the company or its directors.
	Only insolvency practitioners can act as administrators and they are required to comply with an ethical code which was revised on 1 January 2009. This provides that they should take reasonable steps to identify circumstances that could pose a conflict of interest and have regard to the safeguards that may be applied to reduce these to an acceptable level. It applies to any professional work that may lead to an insolvency appointment, in addition to work undertaken as a result of a formal insolvency appointment.
	The insolvency regulators, including my noble Friend the Secretary of State, will consider any potential breaches of the ethical code and take any necessary disciplinary action.

Educational Psychologists: Training

John Battle: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what representations he has received on the funding of trainee educational psychologists in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: I have received no representations on this subject.

Partnerships: Company Accounts

John Penrose: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills when his Department first provided notification of its decision to include e-filing options for limited liability partnerships in the WebFiling service at Companies House.

Ian Lucas: Companies House first set out Electronic Filing for Limited Liability Partnerships (LLPs) as a development objective in its 2009-10 Business Plan. This was published in April 2009 and is available on their website
	www.companieshouse.gov.uk/about/pdf/businessPlan2009-10.pdf
	The current project aims to allow e-filing by LLPs via the WebFiling service on the Companies House website as well as via the Software Filing service that allows submissions to be made direct from third party software. It aims to make initial e-filing options for LLPs available from spring 2010.

Unemployment: Leeds

John Battle: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what percentage of 16 to 19 year olds in Leeds West constituency were  (a) in education, training or employment and  (b) registered as unemployed in each year since 1992.

Iain Wright: I have been asked to reply.
	Estimates of the number of 16 to 19-year-olds participating in education, employment or training are riot available at parliamentary constituency level. The Department for Children, Schools and Families publishes annual estimates of the proportion of 16 to 17-year-olds participating in education and training in each local authority. These estimates are available via this link under additional information:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000849/index.shtml
	An alternative source of data is the Connexions Client Caseload Information System (CCIS). This records the main activity of 16 to 18-year-olds known to Connexions.
	
		
			  Proportion of 16 to 18-year-olds known to Leeds Connexions estimated to be in education, training or employment 
			   Percentage 
			 2006(1) 75.0 
			 2007(2) 81.3 
			 2008(2) 82.8 
			 (1) 2006 estimate excludes young people in part-time employment (2) 2007 and 2008 estimates include young people in part-time employment 
		
	
	Claimant count data are available via the Office for National Statistics Nomis website:
	https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/.
	The following table shows the average number of young people aged 16-19 claiming jobseeker's allowance and thereby registered unemployed in the Leeds, West constituency in each year from 1996, the first year available, to 2008. Because population estimates for 16 to 19-year-olds are not routinely available by parliamentary constituency, it is not possible to express these figures as percentages.
	
		
			  Average 16 to 19-year-old claimant count in Leeds West by year 
			   Average claimant count 
			 1996 275 
			 1997 255 
			 1998 250 
			 1999 215 
			 2000 210 
			 2001 205 
			 2002 195 
			 2003 210 
			 2004 215 
			 2005 235 
			 2006 245 
			 2007 225 
			 2008 240 
		
	
	It should be noted that 16 and 17-year-olds do not have routine access to job seeker's allowance except in cases of severe hardship.

Vocational Training: Young People

David Willetts: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many and what proportion of people aged 16 to 24 years have not been in education, employment or training for  (a) more than six months,  (b) between six months and one year,  (c) between one and two years and  (d) more than two years.

Iain Wright: I have been asked to reply
	The information requested is not available for 16 to 24-year-olds. Analysis of the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England (LSYPE) and the Youth Cohort Study (YCS) shows that in the two years following completion of compulsory education, 4 per cent. of young people spent between one and three months not in education, employment or training (NEEfT); 9 per cent. spent between four and 12 months NEET; and 4 per cent. spent over 12 months NEET. These estimates are disaggregated by characteristics such as ethnic group, sex and parental occupation in the Statistical Bulletin Youth Cohort Study and Longitudinal Study of Young People in England: The Activities and Experiences of 17-year-olds: England 2008:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SBU/b000850/index.shtml.

Young People: Milton Keynes

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what percentage of 16 to 19 year olds resident in Milton Keynes were  (a) in education, training or employment and  (b) registered as unemployed in each year since 1997.

Iain Wright: I have been asked to reply.
	Estimates of the number of 16 to 19-year-olds participating in education, employment or training are not available at parliamentary constituency level. The Department for Children, Schools and Families publishes annual estimates of the proportion of 16 to 17-year-olds participating in education and training in each local authority. These estimates are available via this link under additional information:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000849/index.shtml
	An alternative source of data is the Connexions Client Caseload Information System (CCIS). This records the main activity of 16 to 18-year-olds known to Connexions.
	
		
			  Proportion of 16 to 18-year-olds known to Milton Keynes Connexions estimated to be in education, training or employment 
			   Percentage 
			 2006(1) 79.5 
			 2007(2) 90.6 
			 2008(2) 90.8 
			 (1) 2006 estimate excludes young people in part-time employment. (2) 2007 and 2008 estimates include young people in part-time employment 
		
	
	Claimant count data are available via the Office for National Statistics Nomis website:
	https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/
	The following table shows the average number of young people aged 16-19 claiming jobseekers allowance and thereby registered unemployed in the North East Milton Keynes constituency in each year from 1997 to 2008. Because population estimates for 16 to 19-year-olds are not routinely available by parliamentary constituency, it is not possible to express these figures as percentages.
	
		
			  Average 16 to 19-year-old claimant count in North East Milton Keynes by year 
			   Average claimant count 
			 1997 150 
			 1998 115 
			 1999 100 
			 2000 75 
			 2001 70 
			 2002 65 
			 2003 95 
			 2004 95 
			 2005 105 
			 2006 125 
			 2007 130 
			 2008 135 
		
	
	It should be noted that 16 and 17-year-olds do not have routine access to jobseeker's allowance except in cases of severe hardship.

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

11 MILLION

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many people are employed in 11 Million; what the salary is for each post at that organisation; and what posts at that organisation are vacant.

Diana Johnson: These are matters for 11 MILLION (formerly the Office of the Children's Commissioner). Sue Berelowitz Deputy Children's Commissioner at 11 MILLION, has written to the hon. Member with this information and a copy of her reply will be placed in the House Libraries.

Academies: Lincolnshire

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much funding for academies in North East Lincolnshire has been provided by  (a) Government and  (b) sponsors since the inception of the academy scheme.

Vernon Coaker: The funding provided to date by the Government and the payments made by sponsors for academies in north-east Lincolnshire is set out in the following table. All three academies opened in September 2007.
	
		
			  £ 
			   Oasis Academy Immingham  Oasis Academy Wintringham  Havelock Academy 
			  Government funding
			 Development/set-up costs 1,653,974 1,530,199 1,102,472 
			 Revenue running costs 13,608,329 13,960,785 14,432,332 
			 Capital costs 26,322,207 24,391,147 (1)278,570 
			 
			  Sponsor payments 0 0 500,000 
			 (1) For minor work on existing buildings-work on new buildings has not yet started

Children's Centres: Closures

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many  (a) children's and  (b) Sure Start centres have closed in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Sure Start Children's Centres were introduced from 2003-04-all former Sure Start Local Programmes are now Sure Start Children's Centres.
	No Sure Start Children's Centres were closed between 2005-06 and 2008-09. In 2009-10, two Sure Start Children's Centre buildings were closed. In both cases the services originally offered are being provided by neighbouring centres.

Children's Centres: Nottingham

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many Sure Start centres there are in Nottingham North constituency; and how many children they assist.

Dawn Primarolo: There are a total of seven designated Sure Start Children's Centres in Nottingham North constituency, with a reach area of over 6,000 under fives and their families. Reach area defines those children and families with the opportunity to access Sure Start Children's Centres. Figures for the number of people actually using children's centres are not collected centrally.

Departmental Finance

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much funding has been allocated for  (a) editorial resources for and  (b) enhancing and developing the Sure Start website in 2009-10 and 2010-11.

Dawn Primarolo: The Sure Start website was closed as part of the Cabinet Office web rationalisation programme. The content of the Sure Start, Local Authorities and Evety Child Matters (ECM) websites have been converged and these sites replaced with the current ECM website, which launched in May 2009. The Department allocated £341,288 for editorial resources and £274,117 for enhancing and developing the ECM website in the 2009-2010 financial year. Funding to cover the editorial resourcing and enhancement and development of ECM for the 2010-11 financial year has yet to be allocated.

Departmental Pay

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much funding his Department has allocated for  (a) year end and  (b) in-year bonuses for its staff in 2009-10.

Diana Johnson: The pay bill for 2009-10 is estimated at £133 million, of which non-consolidated performance payments payable at end year represents £2.5 million. There are no in-year non-consolidated payments.
	All employees are eligible for non-consolidated performance payments, subject to strict criteria in line with the Government's policy on public sector pay. Senior civil service non-consolidated payments are determined as part of a central performance management framework managed by the Cabinet Office. Payments for other grades are subject to the pay remit process and reflect previous pay settlements. Non-consolidated performance payments have to re-earn each year and do not add to future pay bill costs (e.g. pensions) and are an integral element of the reward package for staff.

Education Maintenance Allowance: Barnsley

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many students in post-16 education in Barnsley East and Mexborough constituency have been in receipt of education maintenance allowance in each year since its introduction.

Iain Wright: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) who operate the education maintenance allowance (EMA) for the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF). Geoffrey Russell, the LSC's acting chief executive, will write to my hon. Friend with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Libraries.

Free School Meals: Stoke on Trent

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will assess the merits of making Stoke-on-Trent city council the West Midlands' pilot authority for universal free school meals.

Diana Johnson: As part of the pre-budget report, the Chancellor has announced an extension to the universal free school meal pilots for primary children so that there is a pilot in each English region. No decisions have been taken yet as to which local authority areas will be selected.

Further Education: Finance

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much funding he plans to allocate to university technical colleges for 14 to 19 year olds, as referred to in paragraph 27 of his Department's paper Skills for Growth in  (a) 2010,  (b) 2011 and  (c) 2012; and how many such colleges he plans to establish in each such year.

Iain Wright: University technical colleges are funded through the Academies programme. We currently have two projects in feasibility and the funding requirement for each project is currently being assessed. The number of future university technical colleges will be assessed on a case by case basis.

Languages: Education

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many secondary schools in England provided tuition in 
	(1)  Arabic in each year since 2007;
	(2)  Mandarin in each of the last three years.

Diana Johnson: We do not have exact numbers of secondary schools offering tuition in Arabic and Mandarin. However, figures for the proportions of secondary schools offering tuition in Arabic and Mandarin in 2007 and 2008, based on a survey of a representative sample of schools, are in the following table. Research for 2009 will be published later this month by CILT, the National Centre for Languages.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   Arabic  Mandarin 
			 2008 5 14 
			 2007 3 9

Leeds

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much capital expenditure his Department has incurred in the Leeds city area in the last three years.

Vernon Coaker: The information requested is as follows:
	(a) Support for capital investment in schools in Leeds City is shown in the following table
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2007-08 77.40 
			 2008-09 32.60 
			 2009-10 51.50 
		
	
	The allocation in 2007-08 included £42.2 million in respect of Building Schools for the Future, and the allocation in 2009-10 includes £11.0 million advanced from 2010-11.
	(b) Support for capital investment on Sure Start Early Years and Childcare in Leeds City is shown in the following table.
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2007-08 8.36 
			 2008-09 7.36 
			 2009-10 4.86 
		
	
	(c) Support for capital investment from Young Person's funding covers a number of different projects and programmes. Leeds City area has received the following from the Youth Capital Fund:
	
		
			   Youth Capital Fund (£ million) 
			 2007-08 0.4289 
			 2008-09 0.4289 
			 2009-10 0.4289 
		
	
	With regard to MY Place capital spending Leeds has one project for which funding was awarded in November 2008 was £4.979 million. Leeds city council is the lead partner.

Personal Social and Health Education

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what role school governors would have in determining the personal, social, health and economic education curriculum at Key Stages 3 and 4 under the provisions proposed in the Children, Schools and Families Bill.

Diana Johnson: The role of school governors' will be crucial to the success of statutory PSHE as they will take a lead in setting the tone for good PSHE, including SRE and drugs education through the development of clear policies in consultation with teachers, pupils and parents.
	In addition the legislation will introduce a set of guiding principles that govern the way in which the PSHE as a subject should be delivered in secondary schools. Schools governors will be under a duty to ensure these principles act as safeguards against inappropriate teaching.
	It will also be a requirement for the governing body to have regard to any guidance that may be issued by the Secretary of State.

Pre-school Education: Closures

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many maintained nurseries have closed in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The following table provides details of the 32 local authority maintained nursery school closures that have been implemented since 2005 along with the reason for closure.
	
		
			  Reason for maintenance  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009  Total 
			 Cease to maintain 2 - 1 - - 3 
			 Close for brand new nursery 1 - - 5  6 
			 Close for brand new primary 1 2 - 1 - 4 
			 Close for brand new Children's Centre - - -  5 5 
			 Close for 'Add nursery unit' 4 3 1 2 4 14 
			 Total 8 5 2 8 9 32 
		
	
	This shows that in three (cease to maintain) of the cases the nursery provision was not replaced with planned alternative provision. In all the other cases the closures were effectively technical and each was replaced with alternative nursery provision of some type.
	The reasons the department has been given for the three closures were:
	 (a) Staffordshire 2005: Two nursery schools ceased to be maintained due to numbers on roll having declined rapidly as birth rates fell and the range of other local provision, much of it incorporating childcare, developed.
	 (b) Manchester 2007: The Nursery school had a capacity for 65 full-time equivalent places, but only 19 pupils on roll, so was no longer viable; there was sufficient alternative provision available elsewhere.

Pre-School Education: Finance

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how much funding has been allocated for the purposes of extending the free early learning entitlement to two year olds from the most deprived households in  (a) 2008-09,  (b) 2009-10 and  (c) 2010-11;
	(2)  what funding his Department has allocated to the extension of the free entitlement to early education to two year olds who do not have such an entitlement at present in  (a) 2009-10,  (b) 2010-11 and  (c) 2011-12.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 8 December 2009
	Funding allocated to support the Free Early Learning and Childcare offer to the most disadvantaged two-year-olds is as follows:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2008-09 20 
			 2009-10 61 
			 2010-11 76 
		
	
	Decisions regarding future funding settlements will be taken as part of the next spending review.

Pre-School Education: Finance

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many two year olds are receiving the free entitlement to early education; and what plans he has to increase the number of two year olds in receipt of the free entitlement to early education in each of the next three financial years.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 8 December 2009
	Over 20,000 two-year-olds already have access to free places and we will continue to make progress on the long-term ambition to provide free part-time nursery places for all two-year-olds whose parents want them. The reforms the Government are making to tax relief for Childcare Vouchers will allow us to go further. Two-year-old places will continue to be rolled out stage-by-stage in each of the next three financial years.

Schools: Radcliffe

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the oral answer to the hon. Member for North East Milton Keynes of 30 November 2009,  Official Report, column 827, on Radcliffe school, whether the decision on Academy status for the Radcliffe school is the responsibility of Milton Keynes council; what involvement he has in such decisions; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 3 December 2009
	Academies are always jointly commissioned with the relevant local authority and with its support. Once agreement has been reached the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families is responsible for approving the decision to transform a school into an academy, allowing the project to progress to the next stage of the development process.

Social Work Taskforce

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families on what dates his Department received drafts of the Social Work Task Force's final report before it was finalised.

Dawn Primarolo: The Social Work Task Force was an expert group, jointly appointed by the Secretaries of State for Health and for Children, Schools and Families, to advise the Government on social wok reform. Officials from the Joint Social Work Unit (established by the two Departments to support the Task Force) worked with the chair and members of the task force on successive drafts of the final report from 13 October onwards. Ministers in both Departments were provided with a draft of the executive summary of the final report on 20 November. Ministers were also provided with a near-final version of the full report on 27 November in preparation for launch and publication on 1 December.

Vale of Berkeley College

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what documentation was made available to Graham Badman on Gloucestershire county council's proposals on Vale of Berkeley College for his evaluation of National Challenge Schools in Gloucestershire.

Vernon Coaker: DCSF officials gave Graham Badman the minutes from previous local national challenge board meetings. Vale of Berkeley college was discussed at these meetings. Graham Badman also had written information directly from Gloucestershire county council.

Vale of Berkeley College

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether his Department has agreed to the request of Gloucestershire county council to extend the period of consultation on its proposed closure of Vale of Berkeley College.

Vernon Coaker: I can confirm that the Department has not received a request from Gloucestershire county council to extend the period of consultation on its proposed closure of the Vale of Berkeley college. The statutory process for the proposed closure of a school is a matter for the local authority. A five stage statutory process must be followed for school closures, with each stage informing the next.

Vale of Berkeley College

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what discussions took place between his Department and Gloucestershire county council on the format of the council's consultation on the proposed closure of Vale of Berkeley college.

Vernon Coaker: I can confirm that no discussions took place between the Department and Gloucestershire county council on the format of the council's consultation which proposes to close the Vale of Berkeley college. School closure is, and remains, a matter for a local authority. A five stage statutory process must be followed for school closures, with each stage informing the next.

Vale of Berkeley College

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when his Department was first informed of Gloucestershire county council's proposals with regard to Vale of Berkeley college.

Vernon Coaker: Gloucestershire county council submitted its draft implementation plan in response to Graham Badman's review of national challenge progress in Gloucestershire on the 11 November 2009. The plan stated that Gloucestershire county council accepted Graham Badman's recommendation to close Vale of Berkeley college from September 2010, subject to statutory proposals and consultation.